Where do we draw the line between blame and accountability?
Good leadership knows the difference between blaming a person and holding them accountable.
I learned this valuable lesson in the Marine Corps. During boot camp, a recruit joined our platoon during the second phase. He had cycled out due to family matters but wanted to finish his training to become a Marine.
Because we were bunked next to each other, I was de facto held accountable when he showed up at the rifle range without a 10d nail. It didn’t even cross my mind that I should have checked if he had everything he needed.
In typical Marine Corps fashion, the senior drill instructor called me out in front of everyone to inform me that my “oversight” had killed the platoon. Every. Last. One.
To those who haven’t trained for battle, it may seem harsh. But given the context, it was a well-delivered message.
I understood what I needed to do going forward to be a Marine.
While I don’t expect corporate America to have the same level of comradery and loyalty, in the Marine Corps, accountability, among other things, means no one gets left behind.
So, how can we apply this lesson to the corporate workplace?
The distinction between blame and accountability
Society has been grappling with the idea of accountability for a long time.
For example, the legal system strives to determine accountability when examining cases and trials. As parents, we try to navigate it with our children in their so-called wrongdoings because we know they are new to the world.
The distinction between accountability and blame is an important one to make. Most cultures I work with follow the mantra: When things go wrong, it’s because of the leader. When things go well, it’s because of the team.
When we cast blame, we single out a specific person or group. If an entire company operates unethically, we still want to know who started it. Blame is an extreme of accountability, but blame doesn’t need to mean calling a person’s character into question; it doesn’t have to be a value statement.
A person can be accountable but hold another responsible. If the accountable party chooses the wrong person to claim responsibility or doesn’t set them up for success, then the blame is back on them.
There is a line between blaming the person and blaming their behavior
And it’s a line we shouldn’t cross.
Value statements about people are best left for gossip or a jury of their peers. In my experience, adopting the practice of a blame-free environment is a waste of time and could dilute a culture’s ability to mature.
As with many wholesale approaches to leadership, implementing it leads to a loss of accountability and fosters an inability to develop necessary skills.
Instead of eliminating blame, a better approach is to show employees how to be responsible and accountable. And while a few might still look for someone to point their finger at, it won’t be the norm.
The missing piece of a blame-free culture
Adopting a blame-free culture has gained popularity because of the perceived benefits, some of which are:
- Establishing a bully-free environment
- Managers treat employees as a team
- An increased focus on behavior
While these are worthwhile, you don’t have to create a blame-free environment to reap the benefits. People also make several assumptions in support of a blame-free workplace, some of which are:
- Teams, not individuals, make decisions
- Teams, not individuals, are the driving force of an organization
- People will always do the right thing
These assumptions ignore human nature. We are social creatures and organize ourselves by personal and group identities, striving for a common cause.
It is also natural for us to form hierarchies. We look for someone to lead each hierarchy to avoid confusion. It’s well-known that we share responsibility proportionately to the size of the group — unless there is leadership.
Let’s address behavior over blame
The time spent eliminating blame is better spent addressing behaviors related to people-focused capabilities.
By focusing on blame, what ends up happening is employees who are not doing well get moved around until they find a more suitable position. Blame-free endeavors don’t address the lack of interpersonal skills that many leaders need. Instead, they avoid having difficult conversations when they are necessary.
Holding employees accountable means setting the right expectations upfront and giving them the opportunity to learn. It also involves providing timely feedback.
The only blame-free behavior I expect is: don’t blame others for your accountability.
