the buck stops with me

"I was not the one who suggested it," a woman shouted in a meeting.

"Neither was I; my bet was the one which was voted out," another woman remarked  while in a meeting.

"It was Ethel's idea. It was only hers, not us," the last person yelled blaming Ethel as the only one responsible for the fall out.

The buck stopped with Ethel.

When something bad happens in a group or team, it is most prominent to expect that no one would like to take the blame. It may happen that someone would pinpoint another as the one responsible for a failure. Or maybe some would likely adjudge someone for not doing good in a circle. Failure is like a ball of hot fire that no one would like to hold so everyone passes it from one to another.

As I turned on the TV, I heard this news about two politicians maligning each other because they were accused of pocketing millions of money intended for a lucrative project in their areas of responsibility. One man pointed out that the other was really the mastermind of the laundering. The other man emphasized that the former took all the money and he got none. They mudsling each other, yet, both were held liable for the wrongdoing.

Would you also tell that it was Ethel's or someone's idea why a project failed in your group? Would you pass the blame to others just to wash your hands from an act you were held responsible?