Tag: Blame

Fear Drives Compliance -- Respect Builds Pride, Learning, and Improvement TL;DR: Don Ephlin once wrote, "You can't punish your way to pride." That insight still...

Your organization already has a mistake policy--it just might not be the one you think it is. Most companies say they support learning and continuous...

TL;DR: Red metrics aren't "good," but they shouldn't trigger blame or panic either. The real problem isn't red--it's leaders getting mad instead of curious....

tl;dr: Blame-based leadership creates fear, silences learning, and erodes trust. Great leaders replace blame with shared accountability, psychological safety, and system-focused improvement. I recently witnessed...

Twelve years later, I realized I had already met the legendary Toyota leader on my very first Lean trip to Japan. Here's what I...

When discussing mistakes, it's common to hear terms like "stupid mistake" or "dumb mistake" thrown around, especially when reflecting on our own errors. However,...

In many organizations, moving away from a culture of punishment when mistakes are made is a significant leap forward. It signals a shift toward...

How often do you hear executives blaming employees, including frontline workers, for different problems or poor performance? I don't think that's a good look when...

Thanks, as always, to Ryan McCormack for this. He always shares so much good reading, listening, and viewing here! Subscribe to get these directly...

tl;dr: GE Aerospace CEO Larry Culp argues that problem-solving cultures outperform finger-pointing and blame, leading to better learning, performance, and accountability. Problem-Solving vs. Finger-Pointing at...

tl;dr: Shigeo Shingo and Norman Bodek understood that humans are fallible, and blaming people does not prevent defects. Mistake-proofing works when it respects people,...

In healthcare, leaders saying "we'll hold them accountable" too often means, in reality, "we'll punish individuals for mistakes that have many systemic causes." To the...