Search for SuitABILITY
Mar 20, 2023
The founder and chairman of the board of a company reached out to me, saying, “I need some help. Can we get together and talk?” His company’s new CEO had great understanding, motive and other qualities of trust, but one important one was missing: the ability needed in the context of a specific role.
This new CEO seemed to be floundering and the company felt stagnated, like the energy had drained out of it. Furthermore internal surveys showed that morale and engagement were down.
But why? They believed his “motives” were pure and that he cared about the company, its mission and its people. He had the first two essentials of trust.
But the third one was lacking: ability.
The history of the word ability teaches us that it comes from the meaning around being “suitable.” This is a perfect way to think about this element of trust. As you consider new hires or even promotions of already-proven good, hard workers, ask yourself these three questions:
- Is it suitable for you to trust this particular job to this person?
- Are they suitable for the task?
- Can they deliver what you need?
Do not feel queasy about questioning whether or not someone might be able to deliver what you need done. The answer may be “No” or “Not right now, but possibly later.” People grow, and they may have the ability you need tomorrow.
