Blame culture can be a corrosive force within any organization, fostering an environment of fear and stifling innovation. Discover how to identify its signs, understand its impact, and most importantly, learn effective strategies to halt its spread and foster a healthier workplace.
At work, we show kindness by doing things like paying someone a compliment with no ulterior motive
But what about when we’re feeling stressed and snap at a coworker or criticize their ideas?
- Every unkind word or angry tone that escapes your lips undoes five times the amount of good your kind words and actions may have done
Blame more than we think
We don’t notice how often we do it until we track it
- Blame also kills healthy, accountable behaviors
- Nobody will take accountability for problems if they think they’ll be punished for doing so
- Learning and problem solving go out the window in workplaces that tolerate blame
Use problems and mistakes as teaching moments, not shaming moments
We all make mistakes
- No good comes from blaming and shaming each other for our imperfect nature
- If you’re a manager, discuss your own mistakes and the lessons learned from them
- Doing so creates a psychological safe space that will encourage others to follow suit
Blame
The most destructive behaviors in relationships are criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling
- Blame encompasses the four behaviors listed above, and in my experience, it’s what we must tackle first
- There are two big challenges to overcoming blame
Focus on what you can change
We may not cause all our own problems, but our past actions or inactions often contribute to the problems of our future, the ones that we are most likely to blame on others.
- Anytime you encounter a problem – even one you are certain was caused by someone else – ask yourself question: “How may I have contributed to this problem? How can I approach this situation, this person, and myself, with a generous mindset?”
Humans are wired to blame
Partly psychological, partly driven by fundamental attribution bias
- We tend to believe that what people do is a reflection of who they are, rather than considering there may be other factors (social or environmental) influencing their behavior
- If someone else is to blame for our problems, then they need to change – not us
