How leaders handle incompetence #4

 

I learned this simple framework about understanding why people do not perform. Reasons for underperformance can be classified into four types:

1. Don't know - They don't even realise that they are performing below expectations. 
2. Don't know how - They know what they are supposed to do, but they can't do it. They are not trained. They have never been taught. 
3. Can't - They know how to do the job, but they are not given the resources or the authority to do it. 
4. Won't - They have everything they need to do the job, but they choose not to. 

If the reason is (1), then we must clearly communicate our expectations and our standards. If (2), we teach them, train them, or find other ways for them to learn what they need to do. If (3), we need to give them the budget, we need to secure enough other people whose support they need, and so on. (4) is more complicated. Is it because they are forced to work with someone they don't like? Do they feel the work is beneath them? Do they not trust you? There are many possibilities. 

This tool is simple, and what it does is it tells us instead of feeling frustrated and complaining about incompetence, we must think deeply about the root causes, identify them, and take the right actions to address them. 

How leaders handle incompetence #3

 

Train your people. Teach them. Guide them. Give them learning resources. Assign them mentors. Motivate them to want to learn and be better at their jobs. I'm not saying this just because I am a leadership trainer and more companies looking for training means more business for me. When you know the reason your staff cannot do their jobs is they don't know how to do it, the simple answer is they need to learn. 

In some companies this is a glaring gap. Yet often no action is taken to address it. There is a reason why mature and international companies have a Learning & Development department. This is something SME's can learn from - being deliberate in identifying skill gaps and investing in upskilling the workforce. People need skills to do their jobs. They need skills to be able to create more value for the company.