[algog]

Here is my story that I need to pass on to the next generation. I was a kid a few years out of college- just joined a top tier investment bank. I was one of many IT guys. After I joined I found out I was in charge of cutting over each month's sales data to accounting. This sales data determined each month's commission traders send over to salespeople- so that feed was a few hundred salespeople's livelihood.

Well, the CFO that month had asked for some changes to the sales feed. And it was my first month on the job. I think I must've tried to put in the change requested- but came month end- I screwed up. At 5pm that day I raised my hand- literally for help. I had screwed up bad. That month's sales feed was un-usable. It had literally been rejected by the mainframe downstream.

My manager came over- and instead of placing blame- took over the situation. She made the calls to the downstream people- and asked that they take the same feed format from the previous month. Then I restored the previous month's program and resent the feed for that month again. She covered my ass to the CFO- and saved my hide.

She earned my respect that day- and my everlasting gratitude. From linked-in, I see today she is the CIO of one of the federal reserve banks in the US.

[AnIdiotOnTheNet]

It's good practice. The important part isn't who screwed up, it's how do you fix what got screwed up and prevent it in the future. When you play the blame and punishment game it just makes people more reluctant to admit they screwed up and you start finding out about problems, or finding their cause, only after even more damage has been done. Your employees should only have to worry about their ass if they keep making the same mistakes over and over.