What is Weaponized Incompetence and How to Deal with It in the Workplace
It’s your usual day at the office. You’re minding your tasks when Jamile pops up at your cubicle, pleading to show how you’re “doing your magic in Salesforce” because he’s totally desperate. Why not help, right?
A week goes by, and the situation virtually repeats itself. The same colleague keeps asking for your help with this or that because “he’s just not good with tech.” When such behaviors become the norm, it’s not just laziness or genuine ineptitude — it may be weaponized incompetence.
Never heard the term? We’re diving into what this behavior really means, how it shows up in professional settings, and what you can actually do about it.
What is Weaponized Incompetence?
Derived from psychological studies and amplified by social media, weaponized incompetence is an attempt to avoid responsibility by underperforming or downplaying one’s skills instead.
In most cases, it’s not about a genuine lack of skill or training — it’s a strategic move to take advantage of someone else’s good graces, shift workload, and otherwise dodge accountability while still reaping the benefits of “team effort”.…
