No Shame. No Blame.

Greetings, Carl here.

There’s this couple I’ve been friends with for a very long time. Every time money comes up with them, one spouse makes the other feel bad about a decision they made a decade ago.

That’s right—a decade ago.

Watching this go on for a while now, it has become clear to me that all the shame and blame isn’t serving a purpose. 

Now, responsibility and accountability—that serves a purpose. That helps change behavior.

But shaming and blaming someone over something that happened in the past? That doesn’t change anything at all.

Shame and blame says, “You were dumb.” Responsibility and accountability says, “That was dumb.”

That’s a difference worth remembering.

-Carl

P.S. If you like this LinkedIn Newsletter, I think you'd LOVE my Behavior Gap Weekly Letter. Just tell me where to send it!