Most of us dread having to cope with an incompetent coworker. Typically, such people are unaware of the negative impact, they’re having on those around them. They may not be willfully stupid, nor do they screw up intentionally, but they continue to make costly mistakes and blunders as if they didn’t know or didn’t care.

Incompetent people tend to be set in their ways and may not appreciate the need for doing anything differently. It will be a challenge to change their behavior but learning how to apply the five levels of the Competence Index (CI) will help you make the most of your predicament.

Keep in mind that these are not bad people; they just behave in an incompetent manner under certain conditions. To make this exercise more realistic, imagine yourself the following situation:

Level 5 – Finally gets it but it took some time.

Situation: Will, your new department head, stays in his office most of the time. When you try to make an appointment, you’re told that he is not available and will respond to you shortly, but he never does. You have evidence that Will is bypassing you by contacting your staff directly for information and then taking actions that undercut your authority.

Strategy: Incompetents at this level teach themselves and seldom make the same mistake twice. All you must do is point out the consequences of their behavior and wait patiently.

1. Provide a balanced argument both for and against whatever actions you feel he should take. Include a list of possible consequences if nothing changes.
2. Allow him ample opportunity to develop his own solutions and time to experiment with      new behaviors. Offer to serve as a monitor to provide frequent feedback.
3. Assume he will want to verify your perceptions, so be accurate and realistic. Don’t overstate the issues or report anything that you have not witnessed firsthand.
4. If he disagrees with what you report, make a written presentation of your position, and ask for his perspective on each point.
5. Submit a timetable for whatever changes he has agreed to make and assure him that you will get back to him with the results so there will not be any misunderstandings.

Knowing how to apply these strategies should help you identify which competencies a particular person is missing. Then, you’ll be able to assist him or her to develop those skills and abilities, which in the long run will minimize the risk of rejection.