The late Peter Drucker (writer and management consultant) enjoined us to, "Accept the fact that we have to treat almost anybody as a volunteer." From that perspective, inspiration (the carrot) always takes priority over blame (the stick). It seems to me that whenever we encounter an emphasis on blame we need to shift that focus.
So, what can the "led" do when the "leader" prefers blame?
I'm afraid that you have to find your inspiration and innovation where you can. But a part of the vacuum can and must be filled: Make your own plans and put them forward with the expectation that they will apply.
Each exercise in blame needs to be met with the (probably) rhetorical question, "Fine, but where now?" And then, "I propose this."
I don't reject the idea of responsibility, but blame and review are very different things. (And, if needed, there are processes to address inability or a disregard of responsibility. Then the question is, simply, "Is that really where we are?")
[Innovation isn't] about money.
It's about the people you have,
how you're led, and how much you get it.
—Steve Jobs (b. 1955)
