{"id":41578,"date":"2025-04-10T05:00:05","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T12:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=41578"},"modified":"2025-04-10T05:00:05","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T12:00:05","slug":"taking-responsibility-in-a-blaming-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/taking-responsibility-in-a-blaming-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"Taking Responsibility in a Blaming Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

The issue of taking responsibility seems central to the development of a functional society and yet seems to be one that can cause confusion, anger and indignation. Walker asserts that ‘the only proper goal of leadership is this: to enable people to take responsibility.’[1]<\/a> Yet the general population globally seem to be determined to fight systems and leaders in anger that someone somewhere is to blame for their state of being. Glanzer articulates that which I see within my work which is that \u2018we live in a BCD (blame, complain, and defend) culture. It is always someone else’s fault. The situation is bad. I am a victim. I have my rights.\u2019[2]<\/a> How do we as leaders continue to lead by asserting healthy boundaries and cultural expectations when everyone believes they have \u2018rights\u2019 to their own expression of their personal opinion in all places, regardless of the impact of them on another person\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

Even in our UK governance system, within HR policies and procedures, we can feel powerless despite carrying total responsibility for everyone\u2019s safety on every level- physically in the buildings, emotionally in relationships with leaders and staff and legally with finance and safeguarding matters. I have even been unable to terminate the employment of staff members who have stopped completing over 50% of their contracted job description due to \u2018their rights\u2019 in the last five years. Ethical issues such as employees intentionally lying and blaming others is rife and yet twenty years ago seemed rare.<\/p>\n

Friedman notes that one of the characteristics of a chronically anxious family is one who blames and has a quick-fix mentality.[3]<\/a> In my book exploring the impact of shame on behaviour, emotions and relationships, I explain how people can adopt \u2018tools to protect themselves from others, such as the use of projection (so they are never wrong), blaming others (similar) or they may self-blame, hate themselves and sabotage themselves.\u2019[4]<\/a> Blame seems to be a natural way to fight for survival and self-protection, but it is the opposite of responsibility. How do we help and support people to take responsibility?<\/p>\n

As leaders Glanzer encourages us with some descriptions of our role to shape the world around us. I find these encouraging considering the chaos of the blaming, shaming, avoiding culture that we find ourselves as those who have responsibility to care for others. These lines help me continue with determination to see change in the pockets of society that I have been entrusted to influence:<\/p>\n