Posts Tagged character

Photo by law_keven

Yesterday, we had our monthly program review with our director.  One program manager had bad news about one of their projects.  Let’s call him Larry.  He did a good job explaining, in great detail, about where they went wrong, and the steps that his team needed to take to finish the job.  He didn’t get ripped too badly.  But then, he said something that will come back to haunt him, and earned him the Mark of the Weasel!

Pointing the finger

The item that was being produced under Larry had firmware that was developed under another job, headed by Mike.  Larry was almost finished with his explanation, when he threw in a parting shot.  He blamed the “poor” design of the firmware as a contributing factor to the cost growth.  I know for a fact that this was not true.  Mike, who also knew that this was bullshit, also was in the room, and I could see the smoke start to pour out of his ears.  He kept his mouth shut, but I don’t think Mike will be helping Larry the Weasel again any time soon.

Incurring wrath

The point was, Larry is the program manager.  He’s ultimately responsible for the success or failure of his projects.  He gets all of the credit when things go right, so he should be prepared to take his lumps when things go wrong.  Blaming an innocent bystander just to avoid the wrath of your boss is a weak tactic.  Plus, you run the risk of incurring the wrath of the person who you blamed.  I know that Mike is sharpening his knives, and will probably inform the director that the firmware passed all of the required tests, and that Larry is full of shit.  The director will probably ask himself: Is this type of leadership acceptable?  Has he no character?

Corrective action

When you’ve “screwed the pooch”, so to speak, here are the steps that you should take to keep your credibility and your job:

Rule #1: Fess up, and right away

Raise your hand and take the blame.  You want to leave as much time as possible to correct the mistake.  Don’t sit on the problem, and hope that it just goes away.  As one wise man said, “Bad news doesn’t improve with age.” Deal with it now, swiftly,  like ripping off a band aid.

Rule #2: Accept responsibility

Don’t try to weasel out of taking the blame.  If you screwed up, admit it.  People will think more highly of you.  They will eventually find out the truth, anyway.  Admitting your faults will help you keep your credibility.  People like working with those who have character; people of character can be depended upon.

Rule #3: Have a recovery plan

Even though Larry broke Rule #2, he did have a plan to mitigate the problem.  Don’t just drop a load of crap for someone else to clean up; explain how you’re going to make things right.  And make sure that you have the concurrence of everyone involved; you don’t need any dissension.

Rule #4: Execute the plan

Now that you’ve identified the problem and planned a recovery, follow the plan.  There’s nothing worse than not following through on your promises.  It’s that character thing again.  Get to work!

Rule #5: Lessons learned

At the end of each South Park episode, either Kyle or Stan will sum up their latest misadventure by saying, “You know, I’ve learned something today.” Don’t just file this lesson in the deep recesses of your mind.  Write it down, and share it with your peers.  You might be able to save someone else, and your employer, additional heartache in the future.

So the next time that you mess up at work, rather than trying to weasel out of responsibility, follow my rules and accept the blame.  You’ll show that you have character, and everyone will like you better for it.

• Guess I Was Wrong About Brett Favre Time to eat humble pie.  Or take my foot out of my big, fat mouth.  Brett Favre had another fine game, and the Vikings are 11 and 2.  So much for my August prediction, which you can read right here and laugh at my deficient clairvoyent powers.  Looks like......
• 8 Things that Will Get You Fired Photo by clementine gallot A recent Yahoo! Shine article discussed the 4 lies that can cost you your job.  I'm sure that we've all experienced some of these first-hand.  You can read the original article by clicking the following link: 4 Lies that Can Cost You Your Job The......
• Beware of Debit Card Overdraft Fees Photo by Medmoiselle T A recent Yahoo! Finance article highlighted the new tricks that banks are using to increase their profit margins.  Here's the link: Overspending on Debit Cards is a Boon to  Banks People who use debit cards for purchases are making the banks smile.  The reason is......

• Review: Healing Luke by Beth Cornelison Healing Luke is a modern day retelling of the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. It’s quick and lighthearted with a few gems revealed towards the end on love and relationships. Luke Morgan was on a boat when it blew up leaving him with burns, one eye, and......
• Setbacks Are Hurdles Not Failures This is an excerpt of my Free Weight Loss Plan, the Don't Go Broke Weight Loss Plan. Many of you have started weight loss programs thinking you were going to be perfect.  You promised yourself that you were going to follow the plan without any mishaps.  It never happens that......
• Texting the dollars away I bought my son a pay-as-you-go cell phone almost a year ago (because I wanted to be able to contact him occasionally while he was with his dad, and I figured it would come in handy at other times too.) What I didn't figure on was just how prevalent cell......