Leadership intelligence: how to deal with incompetence

"Check what the rules say: If your exploration of (in)competence rubs up against formal policies in the academic sphere or in terms of HR processes, be sure to speak to those responsible for these. You may find clear expectations already neatly set out in some formally approved document. If so, your task becomes easier in that you are simply seeking to establish whether someone has complied with those expectations." This point and the implicit relief expressed as to an apparent easy way out to the unpleasant problem of "incompetence" or "underperformance" of academic underlings tells you everything about what is wrong with the managerial mindset frequently promulgated and exercised in universities. What it actually boils down to is an absolving of leadership, empathy, collegiality, and professional judgement of circumstance to mere KPI obedience and slavish rule compliance no matter what. Problem solved. Easy!