Mahatma Gandhi said:
It is a bad carpenter who quarrels with his tools. It is a bad general who blames his men for faulty workmanship. I know I am not a bad general.
Too many managers (including me) blame failures on their team. My team could not deliver or if they had worked harder we could make it. Or that they just don’t care about work. Or that they are bothered about their careers only. Or that need to improve their skills.
Why do we blame our men? Because we do not want to take responsibility of the failure on our shoulders. My experience is that people shine when the leader respects and values them. When the leader encourages her team to go out full and even to fail, the team goes out full and creates wonders. The team may not reach the expectations of the leader overnight, but a leader knows they are on the way and need to be guided – not pushed back.
Be a good general!