Covering your Backside

I’m curious…what happened to personal accountability? When did it become obsolete? I must have missed that headline. I really think I would have read an article with the headline, “OK to CYA when you Feck* Up”.

I’ve always been the kind of person to say, “Hey, I made a mistake”. I’ve found that people generally respect that more than the double-talk or outright lies associated with trying to cover your butt. You might get away with double-talk once or twice. If you’re really good at concocting outrageous lies, you might even buy yourself 4 or 5 quick escapes but eventually, the truth becomes apparent. I know you’re covering your butt. You know you’re covering your butt. Can’t we just level with each other?

There’s nothing wrong with admitting you made a mistake. We’re humans. We’re programmed to make mistakes every once in a while. Some of us, obviously, are programmed to do it more often than others. But it’s a fault designed to prevent us from thinking were some type of god to be worshipped by all around us.

Think of how much money and time we would save on government inquiries alone if people would just admit to their mistakes.

“Bill, did you let that intern give you a mouth hug?”
“Yep, I fecked up”

See, it’s so much simpler. Of course, I’m sure Hillary wanted a more detailed explanation but you get my point.

And our personal lives? Think of all the time saved there…. “Honey, did you leave the toilet seat up?” “Yep, I fecked up.” See, no 3 hour argument over how exactly the toilet seat managed to get into the upright position.

And guys, wouldn’t you like to avoid arguments with the girlfriend over why you didn’t call? No more time wasted working on creative answers like “Honey, I had the bird flu last night and couldn’t reach the telephone in my weakened state”. [Sorry, got a little carried away. This might be asking too much].

And at work? If more people would own up to their mistakes at work, I’d have more time to write creative, thought-provoking posts instead of throwing up crap like this. Of course, I'd also be out of a job.

The next time you feel the need to CYA, stop and own up to it. I promise you’ll feel much better. Of course, if you get indicted, divorced, slapped or fired, just remember it was only a suggestion.

*Use of the word feck has been officially licensed to Grant for the remainder of eternity. I borrowed it because I don’t like to use the real word in civilized conversation and I’m not creative enough to come up with my own word. All hail Grant.