I blame you.

My experience peering into corporate culture from the outside, as well as running my own businesses from the inside, has taught me a thing or two: not least, how best to cast “Blame”.

I’ve learned at the feet of Masters. These are the golden rules from the creatures of the deep on becoming World Class at “Blaming”:

1. Be the first to report the issue so that you can say 'I told you so' and divert attention from yourself.
2. Email the person least affected by the issue and copy in everyone else.
3. Make the issue in question as complicated as it can possibly be.
4. Use as many statistics and random facts as you can gather, be they relevant or not. Create confusion.
5. Treat and share every spurious rumour and story as if it were concrete fact.
6. Set a meeting on the issue to prepare an Action Plan for the next meeting about the issue and involve as many people as possible. Keep spreading the issue but absolutely never confront it.
7. Only end a meeting when it is certain that nobody present has any personal responsibility whatsoever.
8. Never get caught holding the ball.
9. If all else fails, point at the CEO and say nothing.

Blame incubates and nurtures a culture of fear.

A culture where every problem and issue is always somebody else’s fault; some other department, some other team, some other individual.

Blame serves no one. It slows everything down. It stifles progress.

Practising “Blame” is bad for business.

The antidote is to change the rules: become World Class at “Crediting”.

Crediting is easy to do, so easy we can start today.

The great thing about Credit is that it never runs out, you can always credit more.

This is how to become World Class at “Crediting”:

1. Be the first to report the issue so that it is visible to everyone and take personal responsibility for the solution.
2. Only email and involve people who are directly affected by the issue, or who can directly affect the solution.
3. Make the issue in question as simple as it can possibly be. Uncomplicate. Distil. Simplify.
4. Use only the statistics and facts that are relevant: Create clarity.
5. Dismiss rumours and gossip.
6. Have a meeting with a clear, specific and defined objective only involving the individuals concerned.
7. End the meeting with concrete, specific individual actions, timelines and budgets.
8. Own the ball.
9. Ask for help.

Studying and applying the rules of “Credit” and implementing them in our daily jobs means changing things for good.

Changing things to change things.

Here’s a practical idea: In one of my organisations we instigated a ‘Wooden Spoon’ award given every quarter to the person who uncovered the best (read biggest) problem, took responsibility for it, shared it (in PowerPoint) and owned its solution.

The Wooden Spoon came with a ￡1,000 cash prize.

It was amazing how many problems it turns out we had.

It was great to see those problems collectively resolved. Everyone learned from the problems. People became problem hunters. We turned problems into opportunities for personal reward and the business flourished.

Blaming buries problems under fear.

Crediting brings problems to light and reveals them as the opportunities they really are.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

I blame me.

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? BJ Cunningham C/O DEATH? Cigarettes