"That wasn't us." Yes it was.
"A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the blame, and a little less of his share of the credit." John Maxwell
Nobody wants to take the blame for things they did not direct or could not control. Unfortunately it is not always possible, convenient, or proper to deflect blame. When a manufacturer produces a product which is defective, a business may desire to pass the blame, absolving itself of wrongdoing. Unfortunately a customer doesn't care nor should they.
When I was commanding paratroopers in Afghanistan, nighttime raids would occur in my area of operation. I would know about them in advance. Sometimes I could object to them if I thought they would do harm and sometimes I was overruled. Either way, I would own what mess might be made when the sun came up. I could not tell an Afghan village elder, "that was not my unit." While special operators might swoop in to nab a bad actor breaking doors and terrifying people, we both had U.S. Military on our uniforms and that is all a villager needed to see. It was a bitter pill to swallow, especially since I did not cause the problem but I knew I owned it once I accepted their mission. I had to operate and communicate as if I had directed my own soldiers under a mission I created.
This is called ownership. Difficult as it may be, it is a good philosophy to adopt. I tell my team this often in my small business. We sell and install products made by a separate manufacturer. I cannot control the quality of the product yet, when it arrives defective, I take ownership as if I had created the error. Indeed, most of my customers understand when something comes in defective that it was not my fault and I may mention that the defect occurred at the factory. No matter. I take responsibility and this goes a long way to establishing customer trust and loyalty. Thankfully these incidents are infrequent.
If your name or the company name is on a shirt, box, or vehicle, it is or was you. If the factory caused a defect, take ownership of it. As hard as that may be to accept, you own it.
Make it Personal!
Rob
Rob Campbell