8 of 11

Yes

Write now Article Tools

TAKING THE BLAME?

First of all, let's lose that word blame'. If you're working for an organisation that has any kind of blame culture you need to be updating the CV and getting the heck out of there. It is not a good place to be.

Mistakes happen. Sometimes they are unavoidable. Sometimes they are entirely foreseeable. Either way, people are human and we get it wrong sometimes. Seeking to attach blame for such an event is not only a pointless waste of energy, it is actually destructive.

The nature of blame is that it is accompanied by attendant shame, so we fear it.
Staff or leaders who fear they will be "blamed" when things go wrong will have a very human tendency to ensure the wrong is not discovered, or (if it is) to ensure it is laid at someone else's door. This creates an environment of increasing distrust and one in which lessons cannot be learned from unfortunate occurrences.

ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY

The question therefore needs to be rephrased: should leaders accept responsibility for the errors made by their staff?

The answer to that is a resounding YES. Of course they should.

It goes without saying that they will take the credit for the excellent performance of their team, so (equally obviously) they must accept the responsibility for any mistakes.

Apart from balancing the books in this way, however, there are valid reasons for responsibility for staff errors being accounted to the team leaders. Put simply: leaders are in a position to address the causes of most mistakes.

MISTAKES: WHY WE MAKE THEM & WHAT LEADERS CAN DO ABOUT IT

Why are mistakes made?

The most common mistakes arise out of
A lack of knowledge or skill
A lack of experience
An inappropriate attitude
A bad call'

The first three of these are key fault-lines, which any good leader should spot early and should address. They imply either a lack of education and training, a lack of supervision, or a failure in the recruitment process having resulted in having the wrong person in the job.

Knowledge, skills and experience must be addressed by a mixture of approaches (formal training, job shadowing, casework), all supported by appropriate levels of supervision. Levels of supervision should be task-based, not person-based. Allowing the staff member more freedom in those areas in which they gain proficiency, will boost confidence in taking on wider responsibility.

"Attitude" might be a matter of training or it might simply be

• 1
• 2
• 3
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Should leadership take the blame for staff errors??
We want to hear your view. Write now!