The outcome is what matters. Not the intention. Not the story behind it. Not whether someone meant well or wanted to burn it down. The outcome is the only data point that counts.

Incompetence = Malice = Damage

That equation is not cynical. It is operational.

If someone puts strychnine in your espresso, it does not matter whether they knew what they were doing. You are dead either way. The poison does not care about intent. And neither should you when you are protecting your organization.

Most people treat incompetence as a fixable inconvenience. A patience problem. Something you manage with grace and extra coaching. What they are actually doing is building a high tolerance for damage. And tolerance for damage is not a virtue. It is a strategy failure.

There are tolerances worth building. High pain tolerance. High rejection tolerance. The ability to sit with discomfort and not flinch. These are assets.

Tolerance for incompetence is not one of them.

The framework is simple.

1. One clear warning.

Name the problem exactly. Not softened, not packaged. "This is the standard. You are not meeting it. Here is what changes." That is the conversation. Clean, direct, one time.

2. One final warning.

If nothing changes, you have your answer. You are not looking at a performance problem. You are looking at a fit problem, a will problem, or a capability ceiling. None of those resolve with more patience.

3. Remove.

Not punish. Not manage out slowly over six months. Remove. From the project, from the team, from your ecosystem. Fast.

The reason this matters beyond individual team dynamics: incompetent people inside your system do not stay contained. They create downstream consequences. They infect decisions. They consume the time and energy of the people around them who are performing. And eventually, they compromise outcomes that your clients, your investors, or your partners are depending on.

That is not a people problem. That is a leadership failure.

Your job as a leader is not to maximize second chances. It is to protect the people and the mission you are responsible for. That protection includes drawing a clear line between what belongs in your ecosystem and what does not.

Malicious people get removed quickly. Most leaders understand that.

The ones who survive long enough to do real damage are the incompetent ones you kept too long because you confused tolerance with kindness.