A message from David at: www.principlesinbusiness.com

MESSAGE BOARD: Vol.2 Issue 5 May 2009

Hello and welcome to the May 2009 Message Board from PiB. This month, our feature article continues the theme of Blame, and its companion "personal responsibility". We are gently reminded that our state of mind operates as a fork in the road - and that the many forks in our road apply whether we are talking about corporate life, leadership, teams - or working relationships in general. Whether or not our relationships are founded in optimism, possibility, and an innate sense of our own fallibility is, literally, up to us. Our personal experience of reality is manifested within our own minds.

I thank you for your continued support. If you missed previous Message Boards, you can retrieve them from the Archive.

Read on, and enjoy this issue...



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IN THIS ISSUE

The Message Board Feature Article
We Are What We Do
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THE MESSAGE BOARD FEATURE ARTICLE

Blame: the Buck Stops Here Pt.2

In Part 1 of this article we saw that 'Blame' was a deep, almost instinctual, behaviour to avoid or inflict punishment and that many of us confuse blame with 'bringing others to account' (in hope that they will be more accountable in future). Clearly, blame (and its companion, fear) are poor motivators for human growth, development and productivity. In Part 2, we build a case for the notion that 'blame' and 'being accountable' are worlds apart.

We can build truly accountable teams and individuals without fear. As leaders, we can infuse individuals and teams with a sense of confidence in their own capacity to learn and contribute. Sadly, not every leader takes up the invitation to do so. Infused leadership engenders the capacity and potential to contribute to the common good, 'the cause'. Engender itself is derived from the Latin generare, in which the prefix 'en' (the act of forming) and 'gender' (to produce) combine to create or form 'the cause'.

Say you are coaching a sports team. It is not enough to provide the equipment, demonstrate its use and then expect them to win the game. As coach (leader), not only are you required to provide skills training and practice sessions, you must develop their appreciation of the team dynamic: they need to know how their individual efforts relate to the efforts of the team as a whole in order to produce the results you seek (accountability to the team).

Leaders engender, and are accountable for:

• Reinforcing 'what we are on about'.
• Ensuring buy-in.
• Communicating a realistic understanding of each situation.
• Developing and executing feasible plans of action.
• Wisely allocating tasks and resources so that people can confidently execute plans or tasks.
• Having an eye to stretch individual and team capacities.

When things don't work out the way I would like them to, my own leadership is often challenged. But there are also wonderful opportunities to reflect on all the above. We all 'feel the heat' at times, the pressures that are part and parcel of the business landscape. In the heat of the moment we can all overlook or fail to engender an environment where people perform at their best. If hindsight were foresight, we would see that blaming is a backward thinking response - a symptom of the state of mind we are in. The act of blaming is nothing more than the unconscious desire to deflect responsibility. It, like hindsight, has no future.

In my opening remarks I noted that sadly, not everyone will take up the invitation inherent in leadership. The offer to step up, be stretched and find new capacities is sometimes resisted. Sometimes, it is simply not recognised. This will be the focus of our next Message Board.

Until then ... see what you make of your own responses in a less than perfect world - I'd love to hear from you.

Comments on this article? Please email them here
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WE ARE WHAT WE DO

LISTENING to your LIFE, being ready to listen and question your reactions to life circumstances or daily events - requires a level of consciousness. Blame is one of those intrinsic, ingrained relational reactions we often allow to pass without a second thought. When we blame, we legitimise the grounds or reasons for our response. To let go of 'what we think' in those moments, regardless of how powerful our rationales are, requires us to still our minds, find an inner calmness and open ourselves up to a new moment. Moments of blame can be a moment of confirming what we think - or a possibility for new insight into OUR LIFE.

What will you choose today?

Until next time... David

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Message Board contents © David Bodman PiB. Personal copying and/or transmittal to a colleague or friend is welcomed. For commercial use please contact the author.


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