by Matt Crider

Created on: July 20, 2008

Leadership, by its very definintion, is a role of guidance and control. It is also a role of heightened responsibility. By taking on that role, you are no longer just responsible for yourself, but for anyone that reports to you as well.

That said, the use of the word "blame" is problematic. People are human and mistakes will be made. I think that "responsibility" is a much better term to use in this situation. It is a leader's responsibility to hire the right people, ensure they have the proper training and make sure that continuous coaching is in place.

1) Hiring the right people

If a leader is doing his job properly, he or she will start looking for potential issues as far back as the interviewing process. For instance, if you are hiring for a position that requires a lot of calculations, then someone who tells you they aren't good with numbers may not be such a good idea. This seems obvious, but many times, leaders are under pressure to increase staff to reach a specific quota. But this will backfire if you allow yourself too much leeway.

Not everyone is a good fit for the position you are hiring for. Mannerisms, throwaway comments and even posture are all very telling. A good leader should choose carefully, to ensure that the people he or she hires are the best possible people for the task at hand.

2) Ensure proper training

A manager cannot expect his staff to not make errors if they were not trained properly. Leaders are often not the trainers, but they can and do see where lapses in training can be made. Observing trainees carefully will eventaully lead a good leader to see patterns of behaviours that are acceptable as well as those that are not. A good manager should be in constant with the training department so that any lapses can be corrected. Then it is the leader's responsibility to either train the new employee on the correct procedure themselves or send them for further training.

3) Ensure Continuous coaching

The training period cannot possibly cover ever possibility that might happen during the course of one's tenure. Constatntly evavluating the employee's performance and providing feedback is crucial. But many leaders make the mistake of only providing negative feedback. The employee can become disenchanted or nervous, and could possibly make even more mistakes. A good relationship between a leader and an employee will go a long way toward making the employee feel comfortable in his or her position.

If you keep your tenured experience people happy by telling them what they are doing right, you won't have to continuously hire, which in turn will lead to less errors being made in the long run. That doesn't mean a good leader needs to cater to the employee's every whim. It just means, providing positive feedback is just as important as the negative, and will help keep tenured employees around for a longer period.

So while it may not be a case of blame, it is certainly a good leader's responsibility to minimize errors.

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