The Buck Stops Here

There's a post over on Tim Ferris' blog site that poses the question (and I'm paraphrasing here), "What sort of behavior should people stop doing?"  It started with a story of his about author Will Bowen - a minister from Kansas City - who launched the idea of a purple wrist bracelet to wear as a reminder to stop complaining. Be sure to read the full text of the post; it's quite interesting.

At any rate, Tim's challenge to readers was to consider other behaviors to stop.  And several good ones were suggested.

I already mentioned this as a comment to his post, but here's a good behavior *I* think is important to get away from: Stop passing the buck.

People should be more willing to be accountable for their own actions, take responsibility, and not automatically lay blame on someone else (or someTHING else, at times.)  Especially common in the workplace, passing the buck can be counter-productive and can demonstrate a lack of integrity, maturity, honor, and leadership.  While one may see this practice as merely a self-preserving escape route, it also represents a bit of negative testimony to that person's character.

Which would you rather hear: "The mess up with the new system? Bob was really more to blame than I" -or- "Although others may have been involved, I was part of the problem and I'm willing to share in the responsibility." 

If this were in a vendor-client situation, how well would this bode for either party?  A vendor or provider of true character would be willing to accept responsibility.  And this applies to clients who fail in their share of the team effort, as well.  In any mutually beneficial collaborative effort, success is dependent upon honesty, accountability, and good communication.

I think it's generally more respectable to stand up and take your lumps.   You'll look better for it.