When things go wrong, and occasionally they do, rather than focusing on identifying who made the mistake, focus on the situation and the solution.

Put your energy and attention into what happened, how best to fix it, what process improvements need to be implemented, what training and checks and balances are needed to insure that it doesn’t happen again.

No finger-pointing.  No blaming.  No witch hunts for the guilty party.  No naming of names.

Consciously choose to make these few adjustments and you’ll drive fear and hiding from mistakes out of your workplace.  You’ll find employees stepping up more readily and admitting to mistakes once they trust that you’re seriously solutions-focused.

Taking ownership of your actions in an environment that is focused on improvements and sustainable solutions feels good.  You’ll create a culture where personal accountability blossoms when you’re focused on learning and growth rather than finger pointing.