Barley in the Wheat

‘Unfortunately there’s some barley in the wheat crop this year,’ the new farm manager reported at the monthly farm meeting. ‘It was probably introduced when the last farm manager did the seeding.’

Barley in the wheat.

Easy to blame the last person for the barley in the wheat. The inherited problems. They’re not here to defend themselves. To challenge you. You escape responsibility. You look like the victim. It’s not your fault. You’re off the hook. Unblemished record. Nothing to learn from this other than the other bloke was not as diligent as you are. You get instant status as Better Than The Last Person.

Finding fault in the last person, and changing what they did with a tut-tut, is a common way of stamping your authority and status in your organisation. It’s probably the easiest work you’ll do during that honeymoon period.

Except that by blaming the last person … you’ve blemished your character.

People are wary of those who blame others. Because they are an ‘other’ who might also be blamed.

By blaming the last person, you’ve sown seeds of doubt in your own field, that will grow, and one day will be harvested, and feed you and those around you.

Barley in the wheat.