We live in an age where blame seems to be the name of the game.  When something has gone wrong, somebody is doing better, or something is ‘strange’, a scapegoat must be found.

The recent US Congressional Hearing into Facebook failed to make blame stick as modern-day dinosaurs “interrogated” a tech-savvy icon…just as in the days of McArthy’s efforts with gays and commies; maybe next time Congress, maybe.

But blaming is not always the case.  Rather than being frightened of a situation and evading responsibility a few will take responsibility for their actions.  They refuse to blame others and hold themselves accountable…just like Mark Zuckerberg…he may not be liked, but he took responsibility.

I, along with many others cannot be sure of the facts, but were the Russians really to blame for the outcome of the American Presidential elections on 2016?  Seems the blame is generic rather than specific, but if in doubt ‘The Russians are coming‘ is an age-old nugget.

Accusations can be thrown into conversations with impunity detracting everybody’s focus from any matter in hand as the scapegoat is sought out and ambushed with their political trousers down.

Political Correctness

In our politically correct world of ‘plausible deniability’ our ‘spin doctors’, ‘politicos’, ‘corporate spokesman’ and other ‘representatives’ who desire popularity and bonuses will oftentimes advocate blame over any admission of guilt.  This is typically indicative of a ‘corporate suit’ talking rather than a leader and inevitable references to ‘profit margins’ or ‘popularity polls’.

Advocates of ‘blame’ versus ‘self-criticism’ only have self-preservation at heart rather than the implementation of what’s good and right.  Loss of profit or personal reputation is inevitably more important than doing the right thing.  Other people will be considered as lambs to the slaughter; after all they can be replaced with another potential scapegoat with great expectations.

This begs the question “Are our business and project leaders becoming more political? Or has this always been the case??   The answer must be ‘yes’.  In a world of so-called political correctness survival can be a function of who you know as opposed to how you behave, and what you should do as opposed to what you are forced to do.

But when the shit hits the fan will you be in the firing line?  It is joked that we have teams so there are more people around you to blame…share the love!

Communication and Blame

Communication is oftentimes cited as the reason for project failure – indeed it’s perhaps the reason for almost all human failures and failings.  A satirical / humorous but deeply meaningful poem is so true of ineffective communication and the reason for blame:

This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, & Nobody

There was an important job to be done, Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.

Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry as it was Everybody’s job.

Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realised that Everybody wouldn’t do it.

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

Everybody can be in the loop and, in today’s connected world this is easy through SMS, Skype, Wattsapp, voicemail, email, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter etc etc etc.  Consequentially, Everybody can now blame Somebody because of over-communication, after all Anybody has access to information and Nobody should be unaware…share the love, again!!.

Real Leaders Don’t Blame Others

Some leaders are classified as inspirational while others can be situational, motivational, charismatic, influentional, or even transactional.  But are they real ‘leaders’ who command respect because they have earned it, or are they individuals who demand respect because of their ego, blind popularity, or an ability to bully and blame?

During WWII General Eisenhower was responsible for the D-Day Landings.  The landings took their toll of lives but changed the course of the war and he was praised for that success.  However, he had considered the possibility of failure and was prepared to accept sole responsibility.  In an act of anticipatory mea culpe he wrote:

“Our landings…have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops… the decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available…If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone.”

But today it’s not “it was my fault” but “my bad”.  A statement of fact, yes, but as an admission of guilt or ownership it’s not the same.  Look at Iraq in 2003 and the so-called Weapons of Mass Destruction.  No alleged ‘leader’ took responsibility at the time and the blame was spun onto the victim of a illegal but popularised lynching.  However, finally, and twelve years on Mr Blair saw the light and ‘apologised’; but was this an act of leadership or remorse?

I also wonder where the current British ‘leaders’ who advocated ‘BREXIT’ are today.  Are they taking any responsibility, or have they just taken to keeping their heads down as they avoid the shit that hit the fan?

Conclusions

Real leaders don’t blame, they take responsibility and do so contemporaneously no matter what the consequences.

All too often our ‘leaders’ will communicate doubt through misinformation and a plethora of uncontrolled, opinionated and ill-disciplined communication.  This includes the Twits who Tweet on Twitter promoting ‘false news’ as well as dilatory and diversionary tactics leading to rumours and plausible deniability.

Leaders who can’t accept responsibility for their actions for fear of criticism or blame may well adopt a Scottish poetic cry of “It wasnae me: thae other boys did it, and they ran away!” as they cover their arses for the present and share the blame…for now.

Bio:

UK Chartered Engineer & Chartered Geologist with over thirty-five years’ international experience in multicultural environments on large multidisciplinary infrastructure projects including rail, metro, hydro, airports, tunnels, roads and bridges. Skills include project management, contract administration & procurement, and design & construction management skills as Client, Consultant, and Contractor.

Provision of incisive, focused and effective technical and managerial solutions for all project phases; identifying and dealing with troubled projects, and leading project recovery and change through hands-on interaction.