Finds its way to the most permissive layer

Accept blame when you deserve it, own up to your mistakes, even take one for the team when it’s appropriate. But guard zealously against blame flowing downwards and sideways towards you.

• If you are put in charge of new responsibilities, document the risk factors at the outset, discuss them with your management.

• If someone else’s responsibilities are transferred over to you, document the initial state, the risks, and get sign off from the assigner and management.

• If you are transferring responsibilities to someone else, document the end state, get written sign off from management and the newly assigned.

• For a reasonable period of 30-90 days, have regular meetings with management, the assigner or the assigned.

The responsibility for documenting, securing sign off and understanding, identifying risk factors, and other due diligence to prevent blame lies with you. Corporate blame is a source of mental, relationship, and health stress, and is one of the biggest productivity killers.

Blame can come in torrents and floods, or slowly eat into you even at a trickle. Take the necessary steps to prevent yourself from being “the most permissive layer”.