Let go of the blame game

A big issue that will keep you and your business back is the blame game. And no this is not a self-development article. This is about how you approach your business. Getting rid of the blame game is particularly important in bad economic times.

It seems to afflict the older generation more than the younger. But I have seen it practiced with great skill by people of all ages.

How does it work? It goes something like this.

The bank wouldn’t give me a loan so I couldn’t start my new marketing campaign which means turnover figures were pretty shoddy in ____ (insert relevant month or year).

Our delivery truck broke down and we had a backlog of orders to process. Some customers didn’t get their goods a few days after promised. I have no idea why they were so angry at us. It wasn’t as if it was our fault.

My business cards aren’t that great. i just couldn’t afford a good designer. Now nobody wants to do business with me. Once I have a great logo designed, business will definitely pick up.

This recession is a killer. I’ve had to lay off people and close down a few offices. If it doesn’t get any better soon there won’t be a business left over.  My wife wants to start a new business. Is she mad. She’ll never make it.

And so it goes on. I’m sure if you listen around you will hear many similar stories. And to a certain extent one can understand the stories what with the gloom and doom vibe that is permeating the business world.

However, it’s not going to help you. The effect of putting the blame on external factors means that you do not react quickly enough and you do not work on solutions effectively. It’s like suffering from ‘Bambi in the headlights’ syndrome. Frozen to the spot.

Your solutions can be any number of steps forward. It could mean you close your business down while still solvent. Or it could mean you change direction and try something different. You could add a number of new bits to your offering that are all free making your products more attractive to customers.

Whatever your solutions end up being the quicker you react the better. Blaming external factors will lull you into a false sense of security. It’s not my fault so there’s nothing I can do about it. Wrong. You can. Bale out of the blame game and move forward.

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