Okay, I know double-negatives can be confusing, but they can also drive a point home. Like when Yogi Berra tried to explain to the sports writers why the Mets lost that night’s game, “We made too many wrong mistakes.” That clever double negative left little doubt about what happened.
Have you ever said, “I’m tired of incompetent employees?” If so, maybe this article will help. In my case, I found that I was usually the problem. I was an incompetent manager.
Is it possible that you might be an incompetent manager too? We should ask ourselves, “Is the problem with the employee performing their job or the person performing the training and managing the employee?” Maybe there’s incompetence on both sides of the issue, but is either side aware of their incompetence?
The Dunning-Kruger Effect – named for its originators, David Dunning and Justin Kruger, states that people who are incompetent tend to overestimate their competence, and people who truly are quite competent tend to underestimate their competence. In either case, they’re Underestimating Incompetence.
After all, if you’re incompetent, you inherently lack the skills to competently assess yourself or the people with whom you’re comparing yourself. Not only do you reach mistaken conclusions and make bad choices, but your incompetence blocks your ability to realize it.
Whereas, if you’re competent, your competence allows you to recognize your mistakes and you’re aware of your shortcomings. Ironically, your competence can also make it difficult to see your outstanding performance and work habits.
What can we do about it? Research studies confirm that employee performance and nonperformance both result from the things management does or fails to do when managing and training employees. In other words, employee performance depends more on the manager than the performer.
Over the years I’ve found some tools to help evaluate employee performance, and I’ve adapted them to help employees do a better job of self-assessing their performance. By doing this, I found that my coaching conversations were more meaningful and helpful for both the employee and me. I hope you find them as helpful as I did.
Attitude, Aptitude, and Ability are today’s popular guidelines for hiring. In the past, ability headed the list, but today things are different. As our industry became more complex, the supply of highly trained and skilled mechanics and technicians declined.
Progressive shops realized that they need to train the techs of the future, but they were hesitant to invest in training them unless they had good attitudes and aptitudes – with good attitudes ranking first.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the total solution because, in general, our industry wasn’t very skilled at measuring and nurturing the intangible subjective traits of attitude and aptitude, so we still kept score with ability because it’s objective with tangible evidence.
The Employee Management Matrix (Figure 1), can help you make employee-related decisions based on the three attributes: Attitude, Aptitude, and Ability. (The word “Willing” refers to “Good Attitude.” The word “Able” can apply to both “Aptitude and Ability.”) Measuring their attitude and aptitude helps you decide whether to invest in training to upgrade their skills.
Consider using Four Ts (Train, Transfer, Tolerate, or Terminate) to guide your action steps with employees who are in Quadrants 2, 3, or 4. The arrows show the desired direction as well as which of the Four Ts to use.
However, since each Quadrant includes both subjective and objective criteria, how can we accurately assess which Quadrant an employee is in? The Skills versus Attitude tool helps (Figure 2). When you conduct employee performance reviews, consider using this tool to evaluate employees and to have them do a self-evaluation. You’ll likely be surprised at some of their self-assessments because of the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
During the review, be conversational. It’s not an interrogation.
- Ask open-ended questions about how they feel about their performance. Are there any areas they want to improve?
- Invite them to talk about their attitude. Are they happy with their job? If they could change one thing about their job to make it better, what would that be?
- Ask about their goals. Do they have any specific personal or career goals?
(A guideline and sample questions for conducting employee performance reviews is provided at the end of this article.)
Once they seem comfortable with the conversation surrounding the review, ask them to look at the self-assessment tool (Figure 2). Ask them to rate their Skill Level and Attitude by circling the number that corresponds with their choice – with 10 meaning no improvement needed. Skill Level is on the horizontal axis, and Attitude is on the vertical axis. Next, ask them to explain why they made the choices they made.
For example, if the employee feels their skill level is slightly above average, they might circle the number 7 on the horizontal axis. If they believe their attitude is good, they might circle the 8 on the vertical axis. Now you can place an X in the box that corresponds to their choices. Of course, ideally, the X will be as close as possible to the blue box in the upper right-hand corner. Do you think this employee is worth investing in?
Here are some other ways to use this tool:
- Before the review, complete the tool according to how you feel about the employee’s performance.
- After the review, complete another tool and compare your before and after ratings.
- I preferred doing post-review ratings with the employee while discussing any rating differences and what could be done to improve.
- If you have assessment tools from earlier reviews, use them for comparison purposes.
- On occasion, I’ve had the employee rate my performance as the manager. Be warned; this doesn’t work well with angry or insecure employees. In any case, be open to their comments; sometimes the truth stings a little.
By using these assessment tools, you’ll get a clearer picture of how to effectively manage and coach employees. Reassure and encourage your good performers. They might not know they’re doing a good job unless you tell them. Likewise, underperforming and incompetent employees may be unaware of their shortcomings.
Consider these essentials to manage underperformers – incompetents.
- You must be explicit with underperforming or incompetent employees, particularly about the severity of the problem and the possible consequences. Their selfview is likely distorted by their incompetence.
- Spell it out; don’t assume that employees know when they are in danger of being fired, because of the warnings and serious talks being directed their way.
- A low-performing employee may not understand that the negative feedback they’ve been receiving was a big deal. This is especially if the employee had heard negative feedback from previous employers without getting fired.
- If employees are shocked when they get fired, the manager failed the employee.
- Managers should commit to saying the words, “Your job is in jeopardy if you don’t improve.” Don’t assume an employee knows.
According to Dunning-Kruger, whether a person is incompetent or competent, there’s a good chance they don’t know it. Hence the title, Underestimating Incompetence.
This article is to help you do a better job of managing and coaching all your employees. I believe employees want to succeed. It’s up to us as owners and managers to help them succeed. The tools contained in this article can help you do a better job of helping your employees succeed, which is essential to your company’s success.
Conducting Employee Reviews
When conducting employee reviews, it’s essential to be conversational and allow employees to openly share their thoughts and feelings. This version is for mechanics and technicians. You can easily change it for other positions.
Technical Skills Assessment:
- How effectively does the employee diagnose and repair vehicle issues?
- Are there any areas where improvement is needed in terms of technical knowledge or skills?
- Can you provide examples of particularly challenging repairs the employee successfully completed?
Quality of Work:
- How consistent is the quality of the employee’s work?
- Have there been any recurring issues or comebacks related to their repairs?
- How well does the employee adhere to safety standards and regulations?
Efficiency and Productivity:
- How efficiently does the employee complete tasks without sacrificing quality?
- Are there any areas where the employee could improve in terms of productivity?
- Does the employee effectively prioritize tasks to meet deadlines?
Customer Service:
- How well does the employee communicate with customers about repairs and costs?
- Have there been any complaints or commendations about the employee’s interactions with customers?
- Does the employee demonstrate a commitment to customer satisfaction?
Teamwork and Collaboration:
- How well does the employee collaborate with other team members, such as service advisors or fellow technicians?
- Can you provide examples of instances where the employee supported or helped colleagues?
- Does the employee contribute positively to the overall team dynamic?
Adaptability and Learning:
- How open is the employee to learning new techniques and technologies in the automotive industry?
- Have there been opportunities for training or upskilling, and how has the employee responded to them?
- Does the employee show initiative in seeking out knowledge to improve their skills?
Attendance and Punctuality:
- How consistently does the employee arrive on time for shifts and appointments?
- Have there been any issues with absenteeism or tardiness?
- Is the employee reliable in fulfilling their scheduled responsibilities?
Goal Setting and Development:
- What are the employee’s career aspirations, and how can we support their professional development?
- Are there any specific goals the employee would like to achieve in the coming year?
- How can we help the employee progress in their career within the company?
Remember to provide constructive feedback and support for areas needing improvement, as well as acknowledgment of strengths and achievements. Encourage open communication to ensure the employees feel valued and motivated to continue growing in their roles.
About the author — Thom Tschetter has served our industry for over four decades. His article topics come from our readers and Thom’s years as a speaker, writer, certified arbitrator, business consultant, and his own in-the-trenches experiences. Thom owned a chain of award-winning transmission shops in Washington State, and ATRA presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his years of training for the transmission industry.
Learn more about Coach Thom Marketing and get unlimited free access to sales and marketing articles and videos in our online library. Initial consultations and guidance are always free.
CoachThomMarketing.com
Phone: 480-773-3131
Email: coachthom@gmail.com
