Page 60 - Fearless Leadership

The Blind Spots That Derail Leaders 47

wrong with someone else. Blame is often used as an offensive tactic to
avoid defending one’s position. An easy way to escape being blamed is by
attacking and blaming someone else.
Blame in an organization creates a volatile environment. Silos, warring
groups, and factions choke off the emergence of collaboration and team-
work. Valuable time is spent attempting to resolve conflict in the prover-
bial battle of “he said, she said.”

Symptoms of Blaming Others or Circumstances
• Always having a reason, excuse, or explanation (“Yeah, but . . .”)
• Pointing the finger at others or circumstances to avoid
accountability
• Constantly criticizing and complaining about others
• Being adversarial and opposing ideas and people
• Having divided loyalties and priorities and not working as
a team

This was the case with Felipe, a recently promoted CEO in the energy
industry. Because of his 25-year tenure with the organization and his posi-
tion, few challenged him. He worked with a tight circle of people, and if
you were on the outside, you were a potential threat and enemy. Felipe
blamed and attacked those he did not view as his allies.
Once Felipe became the new CEO of the company, he promptly began
blaming his predecessor, Paul. In a meeting of leaders, he said, “Paul cre-
ated a lot of problems that we now need to solve.” Felipe lost the trust of
many by blaming his predecessor for problems, and what little support he
had, dried up. People complied with what he wanted because they saw
no other choice, but few were inspired to follow him.
Market conditions made the business successful during his tenure, but
Felipe sabotaged what the business could have become under his leader-
ship. The work environment was deplorable, people did not feel safe to
speak up for fear of repercussions, and they did not want to become a tar-
get for Felipe’s ready criticism and blame. Once known for their potent
combination of specialized products and marketing talent, the company
lost their top marketing people and along with it, their global leadership
position.