When something goes wrong, why do we ask who instead of why?
Failure is inevitable. Mistakes happen — even in the best teams and organizations. History shows us that progress is often born from chaos. Innovation, like the first touchscreen smartphones, didn’t happen without countless errors along the way. What mattered wasn’t who made the mistake, but what was learned from it.
Great organizations don’t chase blame. They ask better questions:
What happened?
How did it happen?
How do we prevent it next time?
When leaders focus on fault, they create fear. Fear leads to silence. Silence kills improvement. But when leaders focus on learning, they build trust, accountability, and stronger systems.
Blame is short-sighted. Learning is leadership.
The language we use shapes our culture. The best teams don’t ask “Who did this?”
They ask, “What can we learn — and how do we get better?”