Source: High Output Management (Andy Grove, 1983); Tim Ferriss #665 (Danny Meyer, 2023)
“When a person is not doing his job, there can only be two reasons for it. The person either can’t do it or won’t do it; he is either not capable or not motivated.”
— Andy Grove, High Output Management
Danny Meyer, the legendary restauranteur behind Union Square Hospitality Group (Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison Park, and Shake Shack), shared this framework with Tim Ferriss on #665: Danny Meyer, and I think it’s one of the best tools a leader can use when evaluating any kind of performance issue on their team.
The Ability vs. Willingness 2x2
The concept is easy: draw a two by two with “can/can’t” on one axis and “will/won’t” on the other. You end up with four groups, and Danny recommends applying a different set of actions and timeline for each.
- Can / Will: Danny calls these people “flowers.” Earlier in the interview, he shares a story about how when his grandmother taught him to garden, she taught him the importance of watering the flowers so their canopies would grow large enough to keep the sun from hitting the weeds. So why flowers? Because the people who can do the work and are willing need watering. Take care of them!
- Can’t / Will: People who can’t do the job but are willing to need help. They need training. They want to learn, but they just don’t know how to do the thing yet. Danny says that he has a lot of patience for people in this bucket. At one point he even cites six months. I advise people, especially if you’re a startup founder with limited resources, assess quickly whether you think you’ll be able to train a willing employee on a sufficient timeline.
- Can’t / Won’t: These folks not only don’t know how to do the work, they also aren’t willing to learn. Danny says this group is worth lighting a fire underneath. Their timeline to turn around one of the two is very short, and failure to do so is not to be tolerated.
- Can / Won’t: These folks might be the trickiest, and Danny also says his timeline for these people to turn around their willingness is be short. These people have the skills to do the job, but they just don’t want to. The key is to figure out what’s behind their motivational rut and assess whether they can get themselves out of it, or you can coach them out of it, on a relatively short timeline.
Many Dimensions
You can apply the Ability vs. Willingness 2x2 to someone’s entire job or you can apply it to many dimensions of their job. For example, someone may be able to work well with others and does work well with others, but they are unable to manage up despite being willing to. In this case, they may need some help learning how to manage up despite being otherwise in the “can / will” bucket for working well with others.