Shining a Light on Incompetence by Maria Grant

In recent months, whenever I turn on the news or read the newspaper, I learn about people in high-level government positions exhibiting a frightening level of incompetence. 

Here’s what experts say are signs of such incompetence. 

In the Workplace: Poor decision making and adaptability; avoiding responsibility and accountability; failing to learn from mistakes; regularly producing unacceptable results; poor communication skills; repeatedly missing deadlines; inability to accept criticism; difficulty supporting others; inability to be a collaborator; frequently lying when explaining unsatisfactory outcomes. 

In Personal Relationships: Lack of empathy, poor communication, shifting blame.

General Indicators: Difficulty recognizing people and places; lack of self-awareness; fear of failure; negative attitude–a tendency to be critical of others; talking more than listening.

Our current Commander-in-Chief checks every box. He makes reckless and irresponsible statements with alarming frequency. He blames others for his failures, even if he was president when the alleged incidents occurred. He changes his mind constantly. He moves deadlines up and then extends them. His off-the-cuff comments are frequently incoherent, crude, and rude. Last week he indicated that the Declaration of Independence was written around the time of the Civil War. He has shown a blatant disrespect for the rule of law and our system of checks and balances. And perhaps most importantly, he is consistently and significantly damaging America’s position in the world. 

When campaigning, Trump promised to end “forever wars” and bring about peace. He said he would end the war between Ukraine and Russia on Day One. Recently he said, “It may be better to let Ukraine and Russia fight for a while.”

In his first term, Trump withdrew the U.S. from Obama’s nuclear agreement with Iran, an agreement two years in the making. In doing so, he ignored the advice of our allies who urged him to build on the agreement. Last Saturday, American planes and submarines struck three nuclear enrichment facilities in Iran. Trump declared the attack a “spectacular military success.” It is the biggest Western military action against Iran since 1979.

Here is a quote from Trump’s most recent inauguration speech: “We will measure our success not only by the battles we win but also by the wars that we end—and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into.” 

The cardinal rule for building a high-performance organization is hiring a well-qualified, experienced, and capable team. Great leaders hire the smartest people they can find. Trump’s cabinet could easily get the award for the most incompetent cabinet in American history. 

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem could not define the meaning of habeas corpus.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that Americans wouldn’t mind missing Social Security checks from time to time. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—where do I begin—the Signal group chat, mass firings, walking back his remarks about Ukraine in Brussels, his ill-fated effort to send thousands of detained migrants to Guantanamo Bay—these misdeeds are only the start of a very long list.

 HHS Secretary RFK, Jr. fires the entire Vaccine Advisory Board and begins replacing its members with bona fide vaccine deniers; swims with his grandchildren in dangerously polluted Rock Creek Park waters; and just last weekend, his Secret Service force was spotted waiting for him outside his tanning booth. What?

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blames former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for every mishap (and there have been many) that happens under his watch even though he was the one who fired approximately 400 FAA workers.

Ambassador to France Charles Kushner, a man with no previous diplomatic experience, was previously convicted of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion and witness tampering. 

Center for Medicare and Medicaid Administrator Dr. Oz has been a tireless promotor of alternative and complementary medicinal cures that true medical experts have proven false time and time again. 

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is rapidly becoming regular fodder for late-night comedians because of her ability to deflect serious questions with ludicrous statements. My favorite is when she talks about the sacrifices successful businessman Trump has made to serve his country. Let’s not forget that Trump has filed for bankruptcy six times. 

Before being reelected President, it was questionable whether Trump would be able to produce the cash necessary to pay for his court convictions. Some reports estimate that Trump’s net worth has increased $2.9 billion since he was reelected president. Melania alone will net $28 million from the film Amazon plans to make about her life. No other President in the history of our country has pumped the grift machine like Trump. Yet Leavitt wants us to thank him for his sacrifices. You can’t make this stuff up. 

Albert Einstein once wrote, “Incompetence is the true crisis.” Truer words have not been spoken. And when you couple greed, grift, and a contempt for the rule of law to that true crisis of incompetence, it adds up to quite the sorry state of affairs. 

Maria Grant was principal-in-charge of the federal human capital practice of an international consulting firm. She is currently on the Board of Chesapeake Music. While on the Eastern Shore, she focuses on writing, reading, music, and nature.