Pointing fingers at your predecessor can buy you time, but at a cost: You'll create a culture of blame that's hard to escape Dear Bob …I just took over a midsize IT department (~120 full-time-equivalent employees). I never met my predecessor. Rumor has it his departure wasn’t voluntary — it was the result of years of poor departmental performance.[ Also on InfoWorld: Bob offers his wisdom on another fresh start in the workplace in “Turning around a service desk — it starts with the staff.” | Keep up on career advice with Bob Lewis’ Advice Line newsletter. ] In a way, this is good for me. Whenever something goes wrong, whether it’s a critical server going down or a help desk analyst displaying poor manners, the person bringing it to my attention says something about wanting to make sure I know about the situation, but really, I can’t be expected to have turned around the department so quickly after years of what’s-his-name making a mess of things.No question, I’m happier having everyone making excuses for me than blaming me for problems I didn’t create and really haven’t had time to fix yet. On the other hand, it seems like bad manners to let everyone blame a guy who isn’t here to defend himself anymore.What do you think — should I take advantage of the situation or try to put a stop to it? My Machiavellian side is colliding with my internalized mother, and the result is making my guts churn. – New but Feeling OldDear New …Listen to your mother. She’s more Machiavellian than Machiavelli, at least in this situation. This has nothing to do with ethics and everything to do with building the department you want to run. If you allow the game of “pin it on the dear departed” to continue unchecked, you’ll foster a blame-oriented culture. Once that attitude has set in, forget any ability to accurately diagnose root causes, let alone fix them. Instead, whenever anything goes wrong, everyone in your department will immediately focus all of the energy and attention on finding a scapegoat. It’s a bad habit to encourage, and unlike smoking, there’s no Nicorette gum to help your employees kick it.Something else to consider is the impact on your personal brand. If you join in the fun or even allow yourself to be an interested spectator when the people around you start blaming your predecessor for something, you don’t present yourself in the classiest light — far from it.Whenever someone starts blaming your predecessor, stop them, pointing out that (1) he isn’t here to defend himself; and (2) you’re much more interested in fixing the problem and making sure it doesn’t recur. This establishes you as a class act who is focused on what matters. What’s even better is that the people around you will be more convinced than ever that when something goes wrong, it must be your predecessor’s fault — and whenever something goes well, you must deserve the credit.– BobThis story, “Stop blaming your predecessor for your company’s problems,” was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Read more of Bob Lewis’s Advice Line blog on InfoWorld.com. Careers