You fail at a venture and the blame game starts. Usually, the finger is pointed at you. You were the key player, and thus, you must take the brunt of the responsibility.
Where do you start?
Your decisions, both short-term and long-term, surely were a factor in the failure. And that is a bitter pill to swallow. But soon after you start considering who or what else should ride the blame train.
Was it some of the people you worked with? Did the economy adversely affect your efforts? You’ll seek out who or whatever you can to pin the failure on to ease the hurt. Ironically, if successful, you will be front and centre as the reason.
Reflection
Looking in the mirror is important, although you may not like what you see.
Looking back
Hindsight can be useful if you approach it with objectivity. It’s not easy to do, but it can be rewarding looking forward. Use the setback as a learning tool for your next venture (if you’re fortunate enough to consider another one).
In the end you can’t hide from your obligations. You have to accept the mistakes, on a scale from minor to major, that occurred on your watch. You wanted to be the boss, now deal with it.