Incompetence Might Well Be A Virtue

Do you employ people because they are capable of doing a job better than anyone else? Maybe, just maybe, you’re setting yourself up for a battle to grow and thrive in the business world today.

When a company employs somebody, they usually do so for one reason … because that person is competent to do a job.

Heres an idea to ponder.

Dont employ people because they can do a job.resist it, even just once.Instead, employ people who are not scared of being incompetent and who have a track record of cycling continually through the incompetent – competent cycle.

When you employ that person, their job is not to do the job, no …. their job is to work out how to do the job better, not just once but over and over again.

When you employ people purely because of competency in doing a job, the inherent danger is that you employ people who will defend their competency and resist all form of change.

“This is the best way to do this, I should know.”

“This is how I was taught to do this.”

“If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.”

Change is uncomfortable because change means incompetence. And incompetence brings with it the greatest risk of all … the risk of being criticized, being judged as incompetent, and .. heaven forbid .. failing.

Notice that the leaders of many growth companies are young and vibrant people from the younger generations. Why?

Well for one they have not developed competency to the point where they are unwilling to unlearn what it is they know.

No … they are competent in change, in innovation, in moving through a range of new and untested ideas and continually growing. They are not scared of ‘failing’. The memory of falling over in order to learn to walk is still fresh enough in their minds that they remember.

This new order of competence is the most desirable trait in the modern business world.

If you are truly committed to being the best you can, be prepared to be incompetent frequently.

Now … how the hell do I upload this?

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