Effective leaders accept responsibility. They don’t blame.
In today’s “accept no responsibility society” I am watching people in leadership positions publicly blame others for poor results, ineffective actions, and unsatisfactory results.
“If you are the leader, then you are responsible for the actions and outcomes of the team you are leading!”
If you don’t like your team’s actions and outcomes, then coach or train your people or make any necessary personnel changes.
If external factors are causing shortfalls, well, navigate around them. (That is what you get paid to do. You get paid to think strategically and execute accordingly.)
Blaming others is a dangerous mindset, and over time, this mindset will permeate your decisions and actions, and it will weaken your leadership. (Nobody likes a blamer because it sounds like whining.)
“There is no quicker way to break trust with your team members than by publicly blaming them.”
Accepting responsibility should be the perspective from which you lead. Doing so is challenging because you can’t control every decision and action your team members make. However, as the leader, you are ultimately responsible, so you might as well operate from that perspective.
Remember, effective leaders accept responsibility!