Passing the buck is an art. Blaming others for your wrongdoing is the best way to save your ass. But then you need to do this carefully. Just like an artist who paints effortlessly in the canvas, the buck should be passed effortlessly. This is very common in the offices. When something good happens most of the managers take the credit themselves. When something bad happens the team members are at fault. Even within the team, passing the buck goes on as per hierarchy. Bottom-line, the buck flows from top to bottom. The juniors are always screwed.
Recently the top to bottom approach had taken a little dent in the Air India case, our national airline. The once Maharaja is now a Fakir. The entire organization is in total mess and is begging for government grant to stay afloat. Years of mismanagement and enjoyment has screwed the Maharaja badly. And now the thousands of employees are blaming the management for the mess. Although the management is no good but then the employees also never worked. The airhostesses are fat with no manners. Ask for something extra and you will know. Pilots are beyond their expiry date. Reports say there are some 7500 employees in Air India who never work. They are part of the Unions – Left, Right and Center. Interestingly, they also draw additional flying allowances apart from their salary despite the fact that these guys never flew as part of their work. Overall, Maharaja’s present condition presents a very sorry situation. And now these employees are blaming the management for their condition. The management is no God either. They have enjoyed government money for years and have pushed the once profitable airlines to deep loss. However, the point is the buck is getting passed from the lower strata to the higher strata this time. I think Unions in any big company have more say than the management. HARTAL is their deadly weapon.
Now I have an insight to share. There is a psychological reason why passing the buck happens. It’s because from the very childhood, we get accustomed to this habit. A kid bumps into a chair and falls down hurt, and starts weeping. The parent consoles the child by slapping the chair saying the chair is at fault, and that it has been punished. Nobody dares say to the child that it is his or her fault. I am sure majority of us have experienced this in our childhood. At least I have experienced this frequently during my younger days. And I'm convinced this is where it all starts --- blaming someone or something else for all your misfortunes. So passing the buck is in our nature. Although, I cannot say about others but in my case if I am at some fault I will definitely try to pass the buck. I am just trying to be honest. Apologies for this shrewdness! But then I can’t help it. Can you?
