The hedgehogs of incompetence know how to persevere. They will draw out debates, call for additional research, delay, and fumble. And throughout these episodes, their goal will be simple: to outlast the competent.
It is a devilishly clever strategy. When you are not interested in getting things done, you have all the time in the world. It is the ambitious who are impatient and their impatience makes them easy prey. Eventually, they start to drift off. This one gets a promotion. That one takes a lateral move. A third leaves the organization.
After a while, no one is left but the hedgehogs. Mission accomplished.
How does one counter this? Engage the hedgehogs with information requests, pointed questions, surveys, evaluations of their performance, deadlines and more deadlines, and documentation. Let them begin to sense that their strategy of sloth is going to be used against them. They want to cruise. Make sure they can do anything but cruise. Box them in with procedures and policies and records of their commitments for there is one thing that hedgehogs cannot do and that is to admit they are hedgehogs.
You may drive them off for a change.
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