If you are involved in something that goes wrong, never blame other. Blame no one but yourself.

If you have touched something, accept total responsibility for that piece of work. If you accept responsibility, you are in a position to do something about it.

Here are some common excuses for failures:

- It was a terrible brief.

- I need a better partner.

- There wasn’t enough money to do it properly.

- The director didn’t listen to me.

- I was too busy on other projects.

- I wasn’t given enough time.

- The client took out the best ideas.

Most of these grievances are everyday on every job. That won’t change.

The point is that, whatever other people are failings might be, you are the one to shoulder the responsibility.

Being right is based upon knowledge and experience and is often provable. Knowledge comes from the past, so it’s safe. It is also out of date. It’s the opposite of originality. Experience is built from solutions to old situation and problems. The old situations are probably different from the present ones, so that old solutions will have to be bent to fit new problems. Also the likelihood is that, if you’ve got the experience, you’ll probably use it. This is lazy.

Experience is the opposite of being creative. If you can prove you’re right you’re set in concrete. You cannot move with the times or with other people. Being right is also being boring. Your mind is closed. You are not open to new ideas. You are rooted in your own rightness, which is arrogant. Arrogance is a valuable tool, but only if used very sparingly.

Worst of all, being right has a tone or morality about it. To be anything else sounds weak or fallible, and people who are right would hate to be thought fallible.