Competence. There’s nothing more frustrating than being ready to deliver your best work only to be blocked by someone else’s dropped ball. Maybe it’s a coworker who promised key info and never delivered. Or a team that nods along in meetings and forgets everything discussed. Or the infamous system that randomly goes down just when you’re hitting your stride. Sound familiar? Welcome to the real-world impact of competence, and how quickly incompetence chips away at trust.
Competence might not be flashy, but it’s the bedrock of trust in any organization. When people follow through, understand their roles, and perform with consistency, everyone breathes easier. But when someone repeatedly fails to deliver — or when systems create confusion instead of clarity — it forces others to pick up the slack. That’s when resentment brews, timelines slip, and collaboration starts to feel more like babysitting than teamwork.
Take for example, an incompetent leader, driven by ego and insulated by a chorus of yes-people. Leaders like these often push forward a poorly conceived idea without seeking expert input or considering the broader consequences. Dismissing warnings and silencing dissent, they charge ahead, convinced of their own brilliance. The result? A rollout that derails operations, demoralizes the team, and in more serious cases—such as in public policy or business decisions with widespread impact—harms entire communities. The damage isn’t just in the failed idea. It’s in the erosion of trust, the silencing of valuable voices, and the culture of fear that discourages future innovation. When feedback is punished and expertise is ignored, incompetence is no longer a mistake. It becomes a leadership hazard.
Trust isn’t lost because of one moment but consistent lack of competence erodes trust faster
Let’s be honest. Most of us don’t lose trust in one epic moment. It’s a slow burn. The little miscommunications, the missed deadlines, the “I thought you were handling that” conversations. Over time, they add up. Suddenly, you’re triple-checking someone else’s work or doing tasks yourself to avoid the drama. That’s not collaboration. That’s survival mode with a smile.
So how do you know if someone—or a system—is competent? Start by looking at the consistency. Do they do what they say they’re going to do? Do they solve problems or just pass them on? Can they explain their process clearly? In collaborative environments, competence is about more than personal skill. It’s about being reliable and helping others succeed. If someone makes your work smoother, not harder, that’s competence in action.
Groups are the same way. Competent teams aren’t perfect. They’re just clear, coordinated, and candid. They have shared goals, defined roles, and a culture of owning mistakes instead of hiding them. They listen. They adapt. They celebrate wins together. If your team huddles before chaos hits, not after, you’re in good company.
Systems, on the other hand, should make your job easier, not harder. A competent system is intuitive, scalable, and built with the user in mind. You shouldn’t need a secret decoder ring to submit a report or access key files. If people spend more time troubleshooting a process than using it, that’s a red flag. In collaborative workplaces, the best systems amplify competence. They don’t compete with it.
The good news
Here’s the inspirational twist. Competence can be cultivated. No one’s born knowing how to manage workflows, lead meetings, or navigate messy projects. But with a culture that values continuous learning, critical thinking, transparency, and mutual support everyone levels up. In fact, the most trustworthy leaders aren’t perfect. They’re just consistently working on getting better. That’s competence with heart.
So if you’ve been on the receiving end of chaos, confusion, or the old “I thought you were handling that,” take heart. You’re not alone. You’re not powerless. Build your own competence. Support others in theirs. Advocate for better systems. Because when competence becomes a shared value, trust stops being a gamble and becomes the standard.
Here’s how to take competence and trust deeper
Here are some resources to take this conversation deeper:
- Training: Master High Trust Leadership — A developmental Workshop for Managers, Business Owners and High Potential Employees
- Recorded Webinar: The Power of Transformational Feedback – A developmental webinar for Managers, Business Owners and High Potential Employees who desire a method for delivering feedback that draws people closer than driving them away
- Blog post: How Inconsistent Leaders Destroy Trust and What Predictable Leaders Do Right
