Comparative
Rationalization

“Your ability to rationalize your own bad deeds
makes you believe that the whole world
 is as amoral as you are”
                                                 - Douglas Coupland

As children, we often said, ‘…Susie made me do it…’  As teenagers, our excuse was often that ‘…everyone else is doing it…’  Of course, neither of these excuses was acceptable nor logical by mature adult standards!  So why is it today, when questioned about a lack of performance or lack of forthrightness, even leaders at the very top are quick to ask that we look at their  predecessors and observe that ‘they’ didn’t solve the problem either . . .  or that ‘they’ weren’t totally honest either . . .  or, worse yet, that ‘they’ possessed some totally unrelated flaw! 

Making an excuse for your own poor behavior or lack of judgment by comparing yourself with someone who may have performed even more poorly is admitting that you have run out of original thoughts and have no idea how to solve the problem under discussion.  It classifies you as incompetent.  One can always find a person of lower accomplishment to ‘self-compare’ with.  Obviously an intelligent, mature leader would discuss ideas, alternatives and solutions - not make excuses!

Anyone using this tactic should be labeled as inept and labeled as such, loudly and publically!  Letters to the editor, emails to friends, and persistent calls to the media would be a great beginning!