Winning the “Blame Game”

Have you ever been blamed for something that’s not your fault? An excellent article in The New York Times addresses the perils of the Blame Game in the workplace.

Mistakes and failures happen, says the article, and finger pointing in the workplace is a pretty common occurrence. Unfair and unpleasant as a wrong accusation may feel, “avoid a knee-jerk response and take a step back instead, says Lynn Taylor, chief executive of Lynn Taylor Consulting, a workplace productivity firm in Santa Monica, Calif., and author of Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant.” I advise you to try to understand why the person is blaming you by putting yourself in their shoes.

Collaboration will be the best line of “defense.” Show understanding and empathy and indicate willingness to work together and sort things out. Keep your tone professional, and stick to the facts. Acknowledge that while you weren’t involved with the problem, you will be happy to help resolve it.

For more tips on how to prevent the Blame Game from aggravating your workplace situation, read this interview in The New York Times: The Problem With Pointing Fingers.