Strategic Incompetence

I heard the term “strategic incompetence” recently and thought, “Finally! A phrase for those people!” Those people I’m referring to are, of course, those co-workers, employees, or even family members who choose not to learn new skills with the assumption that someone else will eventually fill the gap created by their ignorance. It’s not possible to know everything, and we shouldn’t try. But when something repeatedly affects our work or our lives, we should consider learning about it rather than sticking our heads in the sand and hoping someone else handles it.

In the military, each branch expects its members to have a baseline knowledge of values, standards, and expectations. If someone doesn’t have them upon entering, they are taught. As the ultimate team, that common ground is necessary to establish trust and understanding, especially in the face of adversity. But what about everything else? Should a pilot know how to draw blood? Should a finance troop know how to conduct a hasty bunker attack? Maybe, maybe not. But that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the ability to learn, adapt, and problem-solve. Some folks seem almost repulsed by the idea of learning something new, especially when the golden “why” hasn’t been explicitly explained to them.

When there is an opportunity to learn something new, we should embrace it as a chance to become a little smarter and a little wiser. I’m not suggesting everyone needs to become an expert in every facet of life. However, curiosity is what keeps us improving as individuals, teams, and communities. If we continue to accept the status quo and assume someone else will fix the problem or ask the right questions, nothing gets done. We can’t always assume someone else will be asking the questions.

Refusing the opportunity to learn keeps us stagnant and complacent—two things we should actively avoid. And sometimes, learning doesn’t mean mastering something. It simply means knowing enough to understand what is happening, ask an intelligent question, or recognize when something isn’t working. That small investment in understanding can make us more capable, more independent, and more useful to the people around us.

The phrase “That’s not my job” makes me shake my head. And although that statement may be completely true, what is wrong with having a vague clue about how something functions? By understanding how a process, experience, or situation works, we become better leaders and, maybe, help ourselves a little more. We don’t have to own every problem, but we should be willing to understand the problems that affect us.

There is also a difference between knowing your role and hiding behind your role. Knowing your responsibilities is important. Boundaries matter. But using those boundaries as an excuse to remain uninformed is something different. The person who says, “That’s not my job, but I’d like to understand what you’re trying to accomplish,” is contributing to the team. The person who says, “That’s not my job, so I don’t need to know anything about it,” is creating a dependency, and sometimes, intentionally.

Maybe that’s the real danger of strategic incompetence. It doesn’t just limit the person who refuses to learn; it quietly shifts the burden to everyone else. Eventually, someone becomes the person who always knows how to do it, always answers the question, always fixes the problem. And because they are reliable, we let them. Until they leave, get overwhelmed, or simply decide they’ve had enough. A strong team shouldn’t depend on one person’s willingness to carry everyone else’s knowledge. Learn something. Ask a question. Try something new. You might discover that “not my job” was never a good enough reason not to know.