Nobody Gets a Zero—Your Shot of Fearless Culture #414

Where change agents find their weekly dose of culture insights and exercises, one topic at a time.

Feb 25, 2026

We talk a lot about the negative impact of avoided conversations.

We talk about groupthink: how teams silence dissenting voices to preserve harmony.

But there’s a third conversational killer that doesn’t get enough attention: blame.

Writing my upcoming book, Forward Talk, I spent months researching how teams play the blame game.

For some, it’s the default mode. For others, it’s more subtle. Regardless of the approach, playing the blame game gets people stuck in painful loops.

Because blame doesn’t go away easily. It keeps showing up as a quiet reflex or subtle body language. For most teams, blame becomes the path of least resistance when something goes wrong.

Blame shifts the conversation from what happened to who’s responsible.

Once your team gets stuck playing the blame game, curiosity disappears. So does learning. The team spends its energy on self-defense rather than on solutions.

The good news?

You can interrupt that pattern with one simple rule. Change the conversation, change the culture.

This idea didn’t make it to the final manuscript, but it still provides a way to change your team’s conversations.

Enjoy my latest article → The 50/50 Rule: How to Turn Blame into Ownership
Practical insights and tools to replace blame with ownership.

Stay fearless, my friend.

Gustavo

In Case You Missed It

→ How to Build a Culture of Ownership (Exercise)

Ask Your Team This

Are we more afraid of taking risks, or of being blamed for making mistakes?

⚠️ Try This

The 24-hour rule

When you noticed something going wrong, did you say it within 24 hours?

Mistakes pile up quickly, and so does blame. Apply this rule: If you see something wrong, name it within 24. Do it before the blame window opens. Silence is a choice.

🍦 Feed Your Curiosity

The self-serving bias

When team accountability is low

Why some people will always blame others

✏️ This is Your Last Chance (Really)

This is your last chance to join my Culture Design programs in 2026.

Starting in April, I’ll be shifting my primary focus to Forward Talk — the framework behind my new book.

Culture Design still remains core to everything I do. But I won’t be adding additional cohorts this year.

If you’ve been considering joining, this is the moment.

Book your spot:

👉 Culture Design Certification

👉 Culture Masterclass

👉 Build a Fearless Culture Program

Our culture design programs have 100+ 5-star Google Reviews.

Connect & Collaborate With Gustavo

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