You’re late for an important meeting. The traffic is terrible. Every traffic light is red. First impressions count, right? But now you’re going to be late. You’re going to look unprofessional and they won’t hire you. Your heart is pounding, and the voices in your head are going into over-drive looking for someone or something to blame.
We’re all guilty of it. But why do we do it? For many blame comes from the fear of failure or the fear of being judged. So we pass the buck and appropriate blame….’it was the traffic lights, it was the kids, its my boss’s fault …..’ But blaming doesn’t work, described by leading research Professor at Houston Graduate College of Social work, public speaker and author Brene Brown as a ‘discharging of discomfort and pain’ it does little more than allow us to avoid addressing our own issues.
Reasons ‘blame’ exists in business:
- Poor skills in leadership and management
- Lack of self-awareness
- Fear of failure
- Stress
- Ineffectual communication
- Team conflict
How to stop the ‘blame’ game in your business and see performance and results grow:
- Create a culture that says it is OK to make mistakes and learn from them. This will have an impact on mindfulness and anxiety. If everyone is too frightened to make mistakes for fear of blame they will never fulfil their true potential.
- Lead by example. Admit your own mistakes. Create a powerful culture where vulnerability is not shameful and a sign of weakness.
- Feedback is essential for personal growth and development. Create a culture where feedback is the norm and happens regularly, timely and honestly will remove the fear of blame.
- Create a coaching culture to expedite learning, grow talent, motivate and engage your team.