Motivation VS Ability
I had a great talk tonight with my girlfriend about motivation VS ability. When you or someone you work with produces something that's below average, you've got to ask yourself a simple question: is it a lack of motivation or ability? Is it that you don't want to do it or that you can't do it. Is it that she's not motivated to do it or that she lacks the ability to do it? You can first identify that and then dig deeper and ask why.
“If you conclude someone has the ability to behave appropriately but chooses not to, you’ve got a motivation problem. You can respond by helping them understand how their behavior affects others. You can impose consequences. You can help them see how it will undermine values they already hold. There’s a lot you can do to influence motivation. If, on the other hand, the person lacks ability, you can offer training or coaching. ”
It's a good framework to have in your back pocket.