Eric Koo Peng Kuan
If you are in a position of authority, are you the type of leader or manager who jumps easily at the slightest mistake made by your subordinates? Alternatively, are you the kind who seeks to make someone else take the responsibility for failure when things go wrong?
It is always easy to push away the blame for something gone bad or wrong, especially for those in positions of power. This is because it is easier to let someone else bear the brunt of things having gone ugly, than to admit responsibility as a leader and face criticism from others.
Ironically, most people will say that they have always despised such behavior they see in others. Yet, how often are we also guilty of such similar behavior ourselves?
The ""art of blaming"" or the ""blame game"" is inherent in most workplaces, especially in large organizations with complex compartmentalization or divisions. Nobody likes to appear to be at fault, negligent or deficient in effectiveness and efficiency in his or her work.
Yet, few realize that blaming others does not improve matters, and worse, sours relationships and provokes negative feelings and hostility. In fact, pursuing responsibility for matters gone wrong wastes time without getting to the crux of the issue.
The ""blame game"" is made even worse when the error is indeed due to the fault of a single subordinate. Managers think that by allocating total blame on one single person, the former is in fact correctly exercising his or her authority in a fair and just manner. On the contrary, nothing could be worse. The subordinate at fault, already feeling guilty that he or she was responsible, now feels even further alienated and betrayed.
Instead of getting support from his or her superiors, the subordinate now shoulders the blame. He or she loses standing in his or her peers' eyes. Needless to say, nothing but resentment remains in the heart. In future, the subordinate will not be likely to do his or her best for the organization or unit again. Even if he or she stays loyal, it is only out of fear or monetary incentive.
Great leaders realize this point and do not easily attest blame to others. There is an emotional episode in the Chinese classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms concerning the three famous sworn brothers, Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.
Zhang Fei was once entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the safety of Liu Bei's entire family. Because of Zhang Fei's drunkenness, Liu Bei's family was captured by the enemy. Furious, Guan Yu admonished Zhang Fei so badly that the latter drew his sword and wanted to commit suicide on the spot.
Seeing that, Liu Bei wrested Zhang Fei's sword from him, stating that the former valued brotherly ties far more than that of his family's safety. Very much moved, the three brothers cried and swore to henceforth share weal and woe.
Liu did not place the blame of losing his family on Zhang's failure, which arose out of the latter's weakness for strong drink. Needless to say, Zhang and Guan stayed loyal to Liu throughout their lives.
After the death of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, an archived letter he wrote to a general during the American Civil War was uncovered. The letter was a rebuke from President Lincoln demanding an explanation as to why the general did not advance his troops when the latter had the opportunity to do so. This letter was never sent.
It was a testimony to President Lincoln's thoughtfulness and consideration for his subordinates even in the midst of great psychological and mental pressure during the American Civil War.
It is no coincidence that Liu Bei and President Lincoln are timeless examples of leaders with a very humanistic touch in their leadership styles. They attested no blame to their subordinates when things went wrong. They are true examples of great leaders.
Blaming in management is a practice that should be discarded.
Blaming others is one of the worst ways to manage people. Managers who are always seeking to stave off the blame for things gone wrong may think that they look good in the eyes of their superiors. But they are, in truth, despised by virtually everyone, especially so by their subordinates. Such leaders seldom inspire confidence; nor do they lead happy teams.
It is not enough that managers are capable and excellent in their field of work; they also need to possess the necessary skills in keeping their subordinates satisfied and happy. A happy team or unit will always be motivated to work harder and be more productive.
But a team which is liable to be blamed at any time for the slightest mistake will never perform at its best. In fact, in the interest of self preservation, everyone will always be spending more time looking over his or her shoulder than devoting time and energy to greater productivity. In the long run, this translates to substantial loss to the organization.
Instead of blaming others or pursuing responsibility, managers should focus on finding ways and means to remedy the situation. Time and efforts spent rectifying the issue, followed by an honest evaluation on what went wrong, is far more constructive than attempting to allocate blame.
Encourage and reassure the subordinate who erred that you have not lost confidence in him or her. A word of comfort can often do wonders to lifting the morale of your subordinate. Remember, to err is only human, and the best teachers have often made mistakes.
It is also a mark of a sure, confident leader brave enough to shoulder responsibility for errors made by their subordinates, and garners respect from everyone else.
The writer teaches Business Studies at an international school and writes commentaries and analysis articles on international affairs, security issues and terrorism for newspapers. The views expressed here are his own and he can be reached at erickoopk@yahoo.com.
