Whose Fault Was It Anyway?
One of the hardest things for some people to do is to accept the
blame for something they did, as in admit they made a mistake.
This has to do with authenticity, with being honest with
yourself, and with your self-esteem. Perfectionists have the
hardest time owning up to a mistake; in fact they would think
that way, "owning up," as if there were something terrible to
confess.
The fact of the matter is we're all human and we all make
mistakes.
People with high self-esteem self-correct easily. They don't
focus on "blaming someone," which includes themselves. They
apologize, if necessary, which is not a reflection on anyone,
and set about correcting the situation.
Most of us are involved in team work these days at work and at
home. If a project fails, it's best to postpone "blame," and
just keep moving forward. Afterwards you can process where the
weak links in the chain were. Often it's miscommunication or
lack of help. People misunderstood what they were supposed to
do, or didn't have the help or tools necessary for the job.
True leaders think the way Hall of Fame football coach Bear
Bryant did. When asked how he held a team together (which is
your job at work and at home, incidentally), he said, "There's
just three things I'd ever say: 'If anything goes bad, I did it.
If anything goes semi-good, then we did it. If anything goes
real good, then you did it. That's all it takes to get people to
win football games for you.'"
Recommended reading: "The Blame Game," by Scott Wetzler:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060930292/susandunnmome-2
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