you asked for it. they’re not doing it. what to do next.
You asked your teammate or direct report to do a thing. It’s not happening. What to do next?
A great leader who coached me in the past recommended “skill / will / clarity” analysis for this situation. If something isn’t happening that you have asked for, it’s likely due to a gap in one of those three dimensions:
Skill gap: the person doesn’t know how to do the thing you asked for. They lack the technical chops.
Will gap: the person doesn’t want to do the thing you asked for. They lack the motivation.
Clarity gap: the person doesn’t know what you want done. You think you’ve been clear but ambiguity persists.
I have found that “calling your shot” on this analysis with the person is useful and builds trust. It takes you out of an authoritarian or political position and puts you in a pragmatic, collaborative position. In their eyes, you’re not pressing a power advantage; you’re solving a problem together. You’re not staring each other down across a table; you’re looking out together at a set of facts, shoulder to shoulder.
You can say something like: “I asked for x. I’m seeing y. In situations like this, usually I find the gap between x and y comes from a gap in skill, will, or clarity. Talk me through what you think is happening here. I’m excited to help close the gap.”
Folks who are brand new to a thing might not have an accurate read. They may think it’s a clarity gap when it’s a skill gap, or vice versa. That’s ok. You can correct them. Enrolling them in the analysis alongside you is building a skill of its own. You’re teaching this person to think like a leader who uses data and feedback to achieve a goal. They won’t do this flawlessly the first time. Developing the mindset and corresponding identity (“I’m the kind of person who hits goals by using data and feedback to improve quickly.”) has great value now and compounding value over time.
Once you’ve sorted out which gap is the problem, take action to close that gap.
If the problem is a skill gap, observe the person in action and give real-time feedback, if possible.
If the problem is a will gap, probe for an explanation and withhold moral judgment. Thinking this person is bad or wrong for not wanting what you want will only cloud your analysis and slow down the problem solving. Offer the little and big picture rationale for the thing you’ve asked for.
If the problem is a clarity gap, state more specifically what you want. Quantify where possible. If what you asked for didn’t originally include a deadline and a deliverable, add those and make them explicit.
Will and clarity gaps often go together and are often rooted in ambiguity about the rationale. Your teammate doesn’t want to do the thing because they’re not clear why the thing needs to be done (beyond you asking for it).
I have found it useful, no matter which gap is preventing execution, to restate the reason the thing is needed. “Because I said so” is rarely motivating or clarifying. “Here’s how this small, near-term thing enables us to hit our goal and achieve our mission” can be quite motivating. It’s also a contribution to the thinking of a leader-in-training.
With this guidance from you, they can stop looking at their work through the narrow lens of a widget-maker, and start seeing that work through the broader lens of a designer. The component, the task, has a purpose beyond itself. It leads to an outcome the team exists to produce.
Great leaders are really clear on the connection between the granular and the grand and they teach their people to see that connection, too.
-Eric
