The Only Thing Worse Than an Incompetent Subordinate...

Why is this so true? Here are two more axioms to help explain it.

The First Rule of Holes: When you’re in one, stop digging.

The hard working incompetent doesn’t know when to stop digging. He/she gets deeper and deeper into trouble and the damage takes longer for you to un-do if it can be repaired at all.

The Puritan Ethic:  Work hard and become successful.

All too often our admiration for raw effort blinds us to the fact that little is being achieved. In organizations where measurable accountability wanes, one of the few criteria we have for evaluating performance is effort. Bob works so hard, how can we criticize him? The Puritan Ethic can lead us to confuse activity with achievement.

• Do you have any hard working incompetents that are hindering your potential for achievement?

• Is anyone taking too long to do their otherwise routine tasks or putting in too many hours after everyone else has gone home?

• Is the situation being fostered by a lack of accountability?

• Are your people working hard or working smart?

A Three Step Remedy

1. Establish Measurable SMART Goals for every position and monitor and discuss their progress.

2. If your people cannot display the competency to achieve, they are likely in the wrong job. As long as you foster or ignore this, who is really being served?

3. Establish competency models for your positions and assess new candidates for the proper fit.

Thanks to John Blanke Sr. for sharing the riddle, albeit in more colorful terms.