‘Blame’ and ‘responsibility’. These two words were the subject of a very interesting conversation I was a part of recently.
Long story short, we came to the conclusion that most people who get a salary are quicker to blame others when things go wrong, while people who are self-employed tend to assume responsibility for their own outcomes.
Interestingly, the paycheck people who were part of this discussion AGREED with this seemingly negative judgment. There seemed to be a consensus that the very environment of being an employee encouraged blaming other people, situations or circumstances.
This isn’t to say that self-employed people are above everyone else. In fact, those debaters who work for themselves, myself included, know that unless our sense of responsibility is well-defined, we are susceptible to over-exaggerating what we are in control of, so we end up blaming ourselves!
Bottom-line is this. Blame has no business IN business! Taking responsibility for things, good or bad, is simple integrity.
Action – And whether for yourself or the company you work for, look truthfully at where your responsibilities are. It is a strong, proactive, solution focused frame of mind.