Within about 5 minutes of any major, negative event, the culprits are identified, hauled out into the public square of the internet and punished accordingly. We grab the first bit of information that confirms our suspicions. Before any real critical thinking has taken place the verdict is passed.

Fear and worry have reached new levels. The media creates communication designed to ignite our emotions. It seems we can’t resist the impulse to attack . We need to quickly find a target for our anxiety. And we do.

I grabbed this headline from a major publication in my Facebook feed after the Brexit announcement.

“Who Destroyed The Economy Today? It Was Old People (Again)”

(Disclosure: According to the article I qualify as “old people”.)

The modern art of scapegoating and shamecasting.

We see it every day.

I’d give this article a 10 out of 10 for effectively fitting both blame and shame into the headline, (the article itself is not much better).

I’m not here to shame the shamers or blame the blamers. After all, they are behaving quite naturally. These responses are part of our psychology and provide a tool we can use to deal with uncertainty and angst. While generally not helpful in the long run they do provide some short-term relief, (and apparently lots of clicks).

The longer term consequences, however, are devastating. Blaming and shaming only drive the problems deeper. Shallow understanding leads to ineffective and short-sighted responses that generate collateral damage. The real story has far more, (but less interesting or easily targeted), layers so we stop short of real understanding and grab the first answer that suits our need. The underlying problems are left untended.

We’ve all seen this play out in organizations.

  • A key customer leaves
  • Revenue targets are missed
  • A top employee resigns
  • Ethics are breached

In every case, there were likely hundreds if not thousands of micro and macro decisions that led to the outcome. Behaviors that were ignored or even encouraged for months or years prior. Priorities from the top that put the focus and resources elsewhere. More often than not the backstory never comes to light. We need to quickly find a target for our anxiety. And we do.

This generally follows 5 steps:

  1. Look at only the most recent events that lead to the outcome.
  2. Find the person or group who was most closely linked with those events.
  3. Publicly label that person or group as the responsible party and highlight their mistakes.
  4. Administer the appropriate, corrective action so that everyone knows the consequences of such careless behavior.
  5. Proceed with business as usual.

This path feels much easier than digging into or addressing the real underlying cultural, procedural or organizational drivers that may have created the perfect storm. The short term fix leaves the door open for a repeat performance. The eventual outcome is an organization driven by fear, riddled with conflict and governed by self-protection and self-promotion.

At this point you may be asking, “But what about accountability?”

Accountability starts with the leader. The leader starts by asking the hard questions.

  • Was this person / group set up to fail?
  • Were my attitudes or actions part of the problem?
  • What could we have done to avoid this situation?
  • What series of actions or choices led us to this point?
  • What else was happening during this time?
  • What can we learn from this?
  • What needs to change?

Only when we have considered the full context can we make a fair assessment of the problem and determine how and where to apply accountability. The outcome may still involve a difficult choice or action but when the matter is handled with an open mind, an honest review of the situation and a respectful response, the organization will learn and trust will deepen.

This is a critical skill that requires patience, tact, empathy, and wisdom.

Let me put this more bluntly.

I believe there is no other event that is watched more closely than how a leader handles an organizational failure.

It tells them everything they need to know.

Blaming and shaming are shortcuts that lead to dead-ends.

Choose a better path.