Often Cloudy

When something goes wrong on a project, the people in charge usually want to know two things: why and who. Figuring out why is relatively easy, as it is part of finding the solution. Trying to find the ‘who’ is much more difficult. If you are the cause or you know the cause of the problem, these tips might help smooth the situation over.

First off, if you were the source of the problem, own up to it. Doing this will be tough, but it will make you look like a more responsible person to others. It will also make others lives easier, as they won’t need to continue hunting and asking questions to track down the source. Chances are it was an honest mistake and hopefully you will learn from it. If there is punishment of any kind, it will almost certainly be less if the boss hears it directly from you first.

Secondly, if you know who was indirectly responsible for the problem, give them a chance to own up to it. If the issue of blame is truly important (often it is not), speak with that person directly and explain the situation. What you never want to do is go over their head to management and point the finger. It’s a sure way to be looked down upon by peers and probably the manager as well.

In a perfect world, the above rules would always be applied and everyone would step up. Unfortunately we live in a world of fear for taking responsibility. This is why I call it the Hot Potato. Once a person gets it, they immediately try to throw it away to another person. Sometimes you can even see the potato moving between people as they explain how it was someone else’s fault.

The main point to remember is that oftentimes there is no need to point blame. The important thing is that the problem has been resolved and a project can continue forward. When an issue comes up, react calmly and avoid breaking out the Hot Potato - for everyone’s sake.

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