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SpeederX
SpeederX

Posted on • Edited on

It's not my fault...

This is what we think, when we get a finger pointed after a deploy with some serious problems.
"It's not my fault".

Either your project manager, your lead, senior or whoever is in charge of checking your work, does blame you.

You tell yourself that's fine, that you should have double checked it. You feel ashamed and beaten up by the idea that you've made such silly mistake or didn't consider that specific condition which afterwards was pretty obvious.

This article is for you, to let you know, that is ok to make a wrong step, that you don't need to be too hard on yourself.

Blame culture has really no place in work. Who gives credit to this approach usually underlines the fact that there need to be consequences and you have to feel responsible. Perhaps they are not taking into account that most of the time, it might be someone else fault and you are the easiest to blame, also you are probably feeling a lot responsible so you start to dig your own mental grave.

Blaming is also wrong because sets the conviction that you - the blamer, not the reader presumably of this article - retain some sort of superior morality, whilst the other person should "learn some lesson" or learn from you.
Feeling entitled to act like this doesn't prove anything, unless you are trying to prove you are incapable of recognizing that programmers / developers / engineers and whoever made that mistake, is first of all a human being, with a life, with his own problems or !problems we can say.

Often I have been blamed of some feature I made and release, upon specific request and analysis of months.

The overall problem I recognized was that I was not considered a human as I couldn't make a single mistake that would be disruptevuly warned. Mistake or failed tests sent back with a rude or very concise explanation which implied I was being told what to do and how to do it and clearly I didn't understand and do that.
"It was so simple and obvious".

It's pretty ridicolous honestly to see that people are not able to avoid being condescending and underestimate how someone can feel about it.

It can makes you doubt about your own skill and this happens just for the sake of someone ego.

Why people blame others?
Because it's simplier and sometimes they feel entitled to do so, such a way to take their responsibility out or assuring the other person feels responsible.

Problem is the way this is told.

It's harder to focus on the problem and possible solution. Giving blame gives the blamer the option to not being involved into the process of solving that problem, but just stand back and point a finger.

Wouldn't be better and easier to step up the game and just tell there was some problem with the release that needed to be fixed?

Why taking the morale down?
Why decreasing trust in the lead guidance?
Why intoxicating workplace with these social mechanics which are just bringing bad mood and people will want to quit?

Don't give up, talk to people. Even if they scare you.
Do not fear to change workplace if it becomes hell to you.
Keep the focus on what you have done, achieved and brought to the company and your team, not what you have missed or failed.
You can acknowledge that you missed or failed something, if you notice it before someone else does.
That's actually great.
If someone takes that situation to take you down, you should consider that they do not appreciate you there.

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