You encounter a problem at work.  Maybe your team missed a deadline or you have an altercation with a colleague.  Whatever the case may be, after you experience the problem what do you do next?  Do you start determining who or what is to blame?  Or, do you take a step back and wonder what role you played in the current situation.

When leaders are close enough to a problem to know about it, they attempt to understand how their own actions (or in-actions) contributed to the situation.  Instead of immediately looking to place blame, stop and ask yourself:

• Did I clearly communicate my expectations?
• What could I have done differently to avoid this situation?
• Is this situation about my own ego and my need to be right?
• What will I do in the future to ensure this doesn’t happen again?

If you want to be a leader others respect, you’ll need to develop a strong ability to be accountable, to admit when something is your fault and to own your mistakes.   Leaders resist the urge to get on the “blame bandwagon.”  It is unproductive and goes nowhere.