Two pronged, actually. One is … who/what do you blame. The other is – do you feel that the finger of blame is always pointed at you… and you are blameless?
Seriously – who and what do you blame? Do you have a ‘go to’ blame-ee? What’s your first thought? To shift the blame focus from you or to become part of the resolution team? If you are into shifting, do you know what has happened that cause ‘the problem’. Time, energy, and resources can be wasted if assessing blame is the first act. We should always have the mindset to correct whatever needs ‘fixing’ and then to look at how the situation came about and what needs to be done so it isn’t repeated.
Also, if it really IS your fault, will you accept it? None of us ‘likes’ to be the center of blame attention, but sometimes it is of our doing – inadvertently or consciously. Sometimes, even when it is your fault, it was because not sufficient thought had gone into the project in the first place. Yes, you do have to own your share of the ‘blame’ but generally you aren’t alone in the ‘fault’ designation. Still, the point should be learning from the what happened in order to not repeat. We need to be proactive in resolution. There seems to be times when all the blame for (fill in the blank) is directed in your direction. Again, whether justified or not – resolve and move on before defending yourself.
How we process blame is important. If we look at the situation and not the accusation and determine what part we played, then we can correct why we thought the way we did which we acted on. The point is our character – our attitude.
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has
stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised
to those who love him.” (James 1:12)
Granted, this verse is referring to a different context, but I think the example of how we should act is evident. We need to remain steadfast, guilty or not, when we are faced with the trial of blame. If we are ‘guilty’ then accept the consequences of your behavior rather than attempting to shift it to someone else. If you are not guilty, then wait till cooler heads prevail to talk to your supervisor about the situation and present your position.
Blame is rarely useful. It deflects rather than reveals. Resolution is a far better approach in difficult situations.
