Why People Blame Others at Work (How to Stop the Spread of Blame)

Описание: In this video we’re going to learn: Why people blame others at work. How it negatively affects our team. And what action steps can we take, as leaders, to stop the spread of blame.

If you have any questions, or you would like to schedule a workshop, contact us at the following link:
http://ignitewithin.me/contact-2/

Hi, I’m Victor from Ignite Within.

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So let’s dive into today’s topic.

Why do people blame others at work? To start, let me ask. Have you ever been blamed for something at work? If so, what does your mind tend to do right after? I willing to bet that It immediately tries to defend itself from the accusations being made and then tries find the “TRUE” source of blame. Sound familiar? This all happens within an instant. Most of the time, we don’t even realize that we’re doing it. This is because of the limbic system in our brain. Specifically, the amygdala, which controls our fear response. When the amygdala is activated by a perceived danger, it begins the self-preservation process. The fight or flight response. This response can be useful in the case of physical danger, but it’s destructive in a work environment where you’re trying to build a cohesive team.

Which leads to the question, How does blaming negatively affect our team?
Whether we’re talking company wide, or within a department, the effects are always the same.
When people feel the need to blame, and it’s tolerated, it creates a sense of mistrust and politicking within the culture. People start to make sure that they don’t leave themselves exposed to possible blame. They begin to over document things to protect their own backside, instead of working together to create solutions that propel the business forward.
The frontal lobe, which is the part of the brain that’s responsible for creativity and problem solving, is practically shut down when there’s a perceived threat! This is because the amygdala overpowers frontal lobe every time. It’s a safety mechanism that’s hardwired in the brain. And it’s not going to go away. The only chance of beating it is to remove the perceived threat and create a sense of safety.

Which leads us to our action steps. How do we, as leaders, stop the spread of blame?
• Number one, as a leader, you need to become aware of when you blame, and then interrupt that pattern by showing ownership yourself. This will also begin to set the tone for your team, as a team’s behavior stems from its leadership.
• Number two, whenever you observe someone on your team blaming, you need to pull them aside when it is just the two of you, and let them know that blaming is not okay, and explain why.
Usually, when something goes wrong, it’s not just one person’s fault. Help them look for ways in which THEY can make the situation better in the future instead of focusing on the mistakes of others. Let them know that taking ownership of problems is rewarded, and not punished on your team (as long as that’s true).
• Number three, you must make sure your team feels safe when they make a mistake. If they feel like their job, or chance of advancement is threatened by mistakes, they WILL NOT take ownership of them, and thus will not be able to learn when and where they need to improve.

In summary, we now know:
• About the defense mechanism in the brain that causes people blame others at work.
• We know how it negatively affects teams.
• And how, as leaders, we can stop the spread of blame.

The next step is to turn this knowledge to action. Knowledge is not power. It is only potential power. We must act on it.

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Ignite Within is where we help you learn and practice effective leadership principles that develop high performing teams which are empowered to make an impact in the lives of others.

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If you’re interested in a workshop around this topic for your leadership team, click the link with this video to reach out to us.
http://ignitewithin.me/contact-2/

We can also extend this workshop to your team members as well. In this workshop we not only teach the theory and science behind blame, but we also create custom workshop activities that help your team identify common areas of blame in the workplace and then practice taking ownership them.

Please reach out to us with any questions you might have! We look forward to hearing from you! Thank you!