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Who are you blaming for your short comings?

Guest post by: Kool Results

Article Overview: Welcome to the New Year! I hope you are feeling as refreshed and inspired as I am! But then, late last year, I did have the opportunity of hearing His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, at the conference ‘The Mind and its Potential’ in Sydney. It was an amazing experience. I came away both humbled and enriched, with my mind buzzing! I’d like to share with you some of the things I learnt.

Who are you blaming for your short comings?

The Dalai Lama admitted that he doesn't have all the answers. He seeks advice and help from outsiders to resolve some of the dilemmas he encounters. But this very fact of consulting and communicating with others makes him a better person and suggests he is taking responsibility for any gaps in his knowledge. As a leader, it is all too easy to blame others when things go wrong. If you don't deliver on your targets one month, do you blame the sales team for not making enough calls? Do you criticise the accounts department for not processing the invoices promptly? Or do you berate the marketing team for not delivering accurate and pertinent forecasts and reports?

When you start by putting your own house in order, you change what is in your control. Ask yourself what you can do differently to get better results. If you play the blame game it leads to lower productivity and inefficiency.

So how do you go on to accomplish change in staff behaviour?

• Communicate frequently and clearly
• Be realistic in your expectations of staff
• Outline your goals
• Listen to your staff more often

It is easy to make assumptions about why staff behave in a certain way, but do you really know what is happening in their lives? Have you stopped to talk with them? Maybe they are under pressure domestically, which impacts on their performance at work. If you ask them why they were not able to deliver on a particular deadline, they may tell you that they had conflicting priorities from other managers. As a leader, support your staff and help them perform more efficiently.

To facilitate change make sure you consult with your staff. Call in key managers and discuss with them ideas for better productivity and job satisfaction. Ask them how they can manage this change. Do they need to apportion responsibilities more realistically? Have they got the best people in the right positions? By assuring their ‘buy-in', by getting them to accept responsibility for some of the changes, they are taking ownership. Immediately, you will be laying a stronger foundation for success.

There will always be someone at work who doesn't think the way you do, or who puts difficulties in your way. If you blame them for your lack of success, you will never move forward. It is you who needs to think and to act differently. By approaching the problem in a novel way, you will find a solution.

Buddhism may be one path for you to follow for spiritual enlightenment. By accepting responsibility for your own actions today, you will move closer to success and self-fulfilment, both at work and at home.

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Article Tags: change, change management



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