🧭 The Will–Skill Matrix: A Leader’s Time Saver—or Time Sink
When a team member underperforms, it’s never just their problem—it becomes yours.
Every missed deadline, rework, and morale issue quietly steals time and focus from your strategic work.
The Will–Skill Matrix is one of the most practical leadership tools for diagnosing why someone is underperforming—and choosing the right response before poor performance becomes the new normal.
📚 Where the Will–Skill Matrix Comes From
The Will–Skill Matrix was popularised by Max Landsberg in The Tao of Coaching (1996) as a tool for leaders to match their management style to an individual’s will (motivation) and skill (capability).
It builds upon the earlier Situational Leadership model developed by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard, which matched leadership style to a follower’s competence and commitment.
Together, these models gave leaders a framework to coach with precision rather than guesswork.
“A great coach adapts their style to the readiness of the person they’re leading.”
— Max Landsberg, The Tao of Coaching
🧩 The Will–Skill Matrix
🕰️ The Hidden Tax of Underperformance
Underperformance is not static—it compounds over time.
When a leader tolerates poor behaviour or weak results, it silently becomes acceptable culture. Team norms shift, and what was once “unacceptable” becomes “how we do things around here.”
The cost?
👉 Your time,
👉 Your team’s morale, and
👉 The credibility of your standards.
Let’s see how this plays out across each quadrant.
1️⃣ Low Skill / High Will — “Guide & Train”
Risk: Endless hand-holding and rework.
Fix: Shrink the task. Define what “done” looks like. Set skill milestones with timeframes. Coach actively but with clear exit criteria—so they progress to Delegate quickly.
2️⃣ High Skill / High Will — “Delegate & Empower”
Risk: Micromanagement. You become the bottleneck.
Fix: Set clear outcomes, not instructions. Give autonomy within boundaries. This quadrant returns time to you—protect it fiercely.
3️⃣ Low Skill / Low Will — “Direct & Decide”
Risk: The biggest drain on your calendar.
Fix: Be direct. Clarify non-negotiables, create a short improvement plan, and attach timeframes. If behaviour or results don’t improve—decide on fit. Delay here is costly.
4️⃣ High Skill / Low Will — “Support or Re-contract”
Risk: Subtle sabotage and disengagement.
Fix: Diagnose the “why” (burnout? misalignment? lack of recognition?). Re-contract expectations and address the root cause. If motivation doesn’t lift, restructure or exit swiftly.
🧠 Quick Diagnostic: The 20-Minute Exercise
- Plot each team member on the matrix.
- Pick your two biggest time drains.
- Diagnose—is it a will or skill issue?
- Apply the matching play (Guide, Delegate, Direct, or Re-contract).
- Track results over two weeks.
You’ll immediately see who’s costing you time—and who’s ready to earn it back.
🚫 Don’t Let “Acceptable Mediocrity” Creep In
- Make standards visible. Everyone should know what “good” looks like.
- Time-box remediation. Endless improvement plans teach staff to wait you out.
- Protect your top performers. Don’t burden them with others’ rework.
- Decide fast. The longer you delay, the more your culture drifts.
Underperformance tolerated becomes performance accepted.
📖 References
- Landsberg, M. (1996). The Tao of Coaching. HarperCollins.
- Hersey, P., & Blanchard, K. (1982). Management of Organizational Behavior: Utilizing Human Resources. Prentice Hall.
💬 Final Thought
Leaders don’t just manage performance—they set the pace of culture.
Addressing low skill or low will early protects your most valuable, non-renewable asset: your time.
Fix the quadrant, reclaim your calendar.