Well, we all know what happened next:
“We sincerely apologize to “Moonlight,” “La La Land,” Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, and Oscar viewers for the error that was made during the award announcement for Best Picture. We are currently investigating how this could have happened, and deeply regret that this occurred.” (PwC)
Mistakes happen. Fortunately, for most of us, they don’t happen under the gaze of 32.9 million people (plus the hundreds of millions more experiencing #oscargate via the news and social media).
So, what is the right response? Something measured and proportionate or finger pointing and blame? Unsurprisingly, the post-Oscars blame game began almost immediately.
According to the BBC, the two PwC accountants responsible for mixing up the Best Picture award envelopes will not be back to do the job again. It has also been reported that they have received death threats.
Cheryl Boone Isaacs, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has said that the relationship with PwC is under review. One mistake could cost PwC its 83-year association with the Oscars.
The rush to judgement is tempting but, ask yourself, who is least likely to mess up next year’s Oscars presentation? A total newcomer or the people who made the mistake, learned from it and never want to be in that situation again?
In a prescient blog post two weeks ago, Curium Solutions’ Andy Dawson talked about Mr Blame and the debilitating effect he has on individual and team performance.
Removing blame from the equation with ‘Win-Learn-Change’ thinking enables team members to move forward confident that they have learned and improved as a result of their experience.
It would be interesting if more people could embrace the power of learning and avoid Mr Blame altogether.
