Years ago, when I worked in the corporate world, I remember
sitting in on a project meeting that still to this day sends a cold chill down
my spine.
My team was designing a new learning platform for one of the
big automakers, and this was just one of our regular project meetings to update
the client on our progress.
As we showed off our latest developments, one of the team
leads for the client scoffed at one of the images used in the application.
Immediately – and probably without thinking – one of my team’s
project leads said: “Oh, that’s what happens when designers use clip art, sometimes
they just toss any ol’ thing in there – we’ll change that right away!”
The problem, that wasn’t clip art, it was a painstakingly hand-drawn
graphic, by one of our top designers – who happened to be sitting in on this
meeting -- and it was specifically requested and approved by the client months
ago.
I saw the poor designer turn ghostly pale and sink into her
chair.
She didn’t want to be in that room.
And after her silent tears turned into audible sobbing,
neither did anyone else.
I suggested we take a five-minute break, and you could
almost see the vapour trails as most raced out of that room, leaving just me
and the sobbing designer.
Luckily, I was able to turn things around, and I even
managed to get her laughing and joking with me about the silliness of the
situation.
However, my discussion later with the person who threw her
under the bus was not so jovial.
He didn’t have anything personally against the graphic
designer, he just did what unfortunately a lot of people still do in business –
kiss the client’s butt.
My problem with people that think butt-kissing is the best
way to build and foster client relations, is that they won’t hesitate for a
second to blame themselves, or a member of the team to satisfy a client’s
complaint – no matter how ridiculous – as in this situation, where the
offending art was actually requested and already approved by the client.
Blame doesn’t get you any further in business – or anything
else in life.
All blame does is create unnecessary frustration and anger
with those the blame is directed at. Hardly an efficient or effective way to
solve a problem.
That’s what the team lead should have done – suggest a
solution to the problem.
As a team lead, he should have known that the artwork in
question was already signed-off by the client.
He should have NEVER blamed anyone on any team.
I’m just glad he didn’t blame our client for approving artwork
they didn’t like – that would have been a bigger fire to put out.
Never throw anyone on your team, or anyone’s team, under the
bus.
I have never seen a personal or professional problem
resolved by blame.
Blame is just a way to pass the buck. It shifts the
attention away from working towards a solution, by pointing a finger at
someone, and saying: “this is your fault!”
Blame is a huge problem in offices around the world. It
creates hostile workplaces, where no one wants to be, because you never know if
one day, you’ll be the one taking the blame.
Don’t blame people on your team, in your office, or in your
company for anything ever.
Blame is bad for those you blame.
Blame is bad for those who blame you.
Blame is bad for the entire corporate culture, as it creates
an environment of fear and angst.
Blame is bad – period.
Next time you feel the urge to blame someone, go punch a pillow, to relieve the stress, and then work out a solution that does not assign blame.
Because any solution that blames someone else isn’t a
solution, it’s just another way of saying: “not my problem.”
As part of the team, every problem is yours – that’s the
whole point of being on a team.
But that’s another rant, for another day.
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