Blame the whiskey on the beer
Blame the beer on the whiskey
Blame the mornin’ on the night
For whose lyin’ here with me
Blame the bar for the band
Blame the band for the song
Blame the song for the party that went all night long
But it ain’t my fault
No it ain’t my fault
Mighta had a little fun
Lotta wrong I’d done
But it ain’t my fault
That’s the opening of the Brothers Osborne song It Ain’t My Fault
Aside from the party-natured lyrics, do you know anyone who goes through life as if nothing is their fault? As The Boss, this CANNOT be you!
Recently, a colleague of mine took on a coaching client that I had worked with as part of a larger group several years ago. As we compared notes, the very thing this individual needed to fix was what I had already covered. The individual blamed everyone but themselves. What would Jimmy Buffett say?
But I know…it’s nobody’s fault
This is a common way to look at mistakes. Nobody is to blame. It’s all circumstance. We’ll do better next time. I had the training but It’s sort of irrelevant. The employee was late a bunch of times but everyone comes in late from time to time. Traffic and all….
Now I think…hell it could be my fault
With a little self-awareness, a person might explore the idea that they might have some part of bringing on a bad situation. I should have counseled that individual. I should have documented their behavior. But still, the individual should have known better.
And I know…it’s my own damn fault
Yeah, as The Boss, ownership is yours to take. Which means when appropriate, so is blame. If an employee gets away with something enough times, everyone else will follow suit. When productivity drops or you get called into your boss’s office, guess who will get the blame. Yeah…this one’s on me.
This week think about your part in owning the processes, employee performance, and results in your department. As The Boss, your credibility rests on how well everything goes.
And nobody cares when you say it’s not your fault…
