Take the blame if you want others to do the same

I’m forever telling my clients (design business leaders) that their design businesses are only as good as they are.

One of the most natural of human instincts when something goes wrong is to look for someone to blame. It relieves the frustration of many managers. On the other hand, blame can increase someone else’s frustration. Nobody enjoys being blamed for something, rightly or wrongly.

When something is unsatisfactory, just hold your horses and get the facts straight. By doing this, you will be sure of doing several things right. One is that you won’t jump to conclusions.

One of the best ways of investigating something that has gone wrong is to start by taking much of the responsibility yourself.

Try asking the people involved if you fell down on the job. If you have the courage to approach the situation in this manner, it will encourage your staff and colleagues to do the same. If they admit they’ve fallen short it will be more effective, and resented less, than if the confession was extracted from them by accusations that came from you.

The same principle applies when it comes to giving credit, like winning new business or that design award you’ve just won…

Ian Cochrane

Director

Ticegroup

Ticegroup@aol.com