Word-Of-the-Week #762: Blame Game
March 15, 2019 by Susan Clarke
Blame Game – accusations exchanged among people who refuse to accept sole responsibility for some undesirable event.
Do you know anyone who plays the “Blame Game?” Are you in denial when it comes to accepting responsibility if something goes wrong?
This week long time friend Bill Marvin, The Restaurant Doctor, shares his thoughts.
“For the past few days I’ve wanted to write about the danger of playing The Blame Game. I envisioned a more polished article, but retired life isn’t the perpetual vacation many imagine and time got away from me.
So to get it off my chest, I’ll give you the rough draft version and let you take what you will from it. If you work for someone whose behavior fits the picture I paint, my heart goes out to you. (If that person is you, I’ll try to be gentle … but pay attention.)
You could be that person…
- … if it’s never your fault when things don’t work out the way you imagined them.
- … if you always place the blame somewhere else.
- … if you always imagine yourself as the smartest person in the room.
- … if you never admit an error or cancel a plan when it’s obviously not working.
- … if you blame disappointing sales on the economy … or the weather … or road construction … or the competition.
- .. if you feel the sub-par performance of your staff is because this new generation has no work ethic, or because they don’t take the job seriously, or because their parents did a lousy job of instilling values in them.
- … if you always take credit for the good news but deny any responsibility for the bad news.
The list could go on, but you get the idea.
You probably think of yourself as infallible, but to the outside world you come across as a pathetic egotist. As a result, you live your life as a perpetual victim, hopelessly tossed about on the angry seas of happenstance. It’s no way to lead … and a lousy way to live.
STOP IT!
There’s a big difference between going with the flow and having your body washed up on the beach. Things rarely work out exactly the way we thought they would, but if you take ownership of your results, whatever they are, you’ll be more likely to adjust on the fly and will usually get most of what you wanted.
I can promise you will never have the life — or the business — you want until you accept personal responsibility for whatever obstacles life presents. Only then will you will finally be in a position to overcome them.
When it comes to the Blame Game, the only winning move is not to play.”
This week’s focus is on not playing the Blame Game. Do you take ownership of your results? Do you accept personal responsibility for whatever obstacles life presents? Are you willing to admit an error or cancel a plan when it’s not working?
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