While the term weaponised incompetence may appear new to you, the examples of it are familiar. Also called strategic incompetence, weaponised incompetence is a behaviour wherein a person subtly uses his incompetence to avoid working on a difficult task. You may observe it through lines like you should do it because you are better at it than me, or I am not very good at it. Can you do it instead? These are simple lines we often hear at home or in the office. However, these can cause conflicts in the long run. Good thing team coaching in Singapore can help. Today, we will share some insights about weaponised incompetence and how to use team coaching to resolve it.
The Dangers of Weaponised Incompetence
While incompetence may sound powerless, it can be dangerous when weaponised. You may have encountered a coworker in the past who constantly asked you to do some tasks because “he is simply not good at it”. From photocopying files to answering phone calls to organising the annual leadership coaching or creating a PowerPoint presentation, whatever task he is not confident doing will be put on your plate.
It may sound alright at first. It is good to help anyway, and the you-are-better-at-it-than-me phrase is catchy. However, it can be frustrating and problematic in the long run. Every employee must shoulder their part, and getting more jobs than what you are paid for can be annoying. Thus, whether the person asking for help is distressed or not, you will end up thinking he is faking it to get away from the task. This is the reason why it is necessary to conduct team coaching sessions to eliminate the risks of weaponised incompetence.
How Does Team Coaching Help?
Team coaching or leadership coaching in Singapore can help address weaponised incompetence in a company. Most leadership coaching programmes are designed to raise awareness of the importance of teamwork and collaboration. Thus, each employee is expected to learn that incompetence can weigh the team down. Here are some of the ways team coaching can help:
- Team building activities can teach each member that his input is necessary to accomplish the goals. Most of the time, weaponised incompetence is not intentional. We tend to avoid mistakes in a corporate setting. Thus, some people would pass a task to other colleagues if they think they will fail to do it correctly. Through team-building exercises in leadership coaching sessions, your employees will learn that teamwork outweighs talent.
- Women leadership development programmes can help male and female employees understand weaponised incompetence. Statistically, women are more prone to be victims of weaponised incompetence because they tend to want to prove themselves. Through women leadership development programmes, women will learn their capabilities and gain more confidence to lead without taking all the responsibilities on their shoulders.
- Team coaching often involves open forums wherein employees could share the challenges they are experiencing at work. When weaponised incompetence is raised, the team may find it hard to reconcile. With the help of an experienced team coaching specialist, things will be handled professionally and conflicts will be resolved methodologically.
Are you planning to conduct team coaching or career counselling in Singapore for your company? Visit ANspired today for reliable career mentors.