. We should start by trying to understand our colleague's worldviews. What are the most important moments in working with the team for him? What does he consider as an attack on his ego? We should understand that usually, the problem is not in the very fact of a colleague's incompetence but in his inability to realize it (, ). If he is aware of this, then the problem is temporary; either he will develop and gain the necessary knowledge or leave the team.

, . We should constantly ask less competent colleagues how they interpreted certain decisions, instructions, or just information. We need to remind ourselves that our colleagues and we will never be synced in understanding the situation.

. We should not place the blame for a mistake entirely on one incompetent team member, especially if the participant has decision-making power. We need to create an environment where the entire team is responsible for mistakes (and successes) from the start.

, . We should be cautious when asked to do something we think is unnecessary and not practical. We should clearly describe what we are going to do and ask our colleagues to indicate milestones that can be beneficial if achieved. Example: We know that a product release in early September will fail. However, our boss requested another analysis of the market. We describe the method by which we will conduct the analysis and the structure of the output. Then we ask the boss to indicate which output will lead him to change the decision to launch in September. If the boss realizes at this moment that postponing the release of the product is inevitable, he may cancel the task and save tens of hours of useless work.

, . We need to create an atmosphere where no statement is final without consideration by other team members. By giving a colleague power to make the final decision, we kill the pluralism of opinions and cause significant harm to the project as a whole.

. If we notice that our colleague is using the information he received to emphasize his beliefs, we should differentiate his personal interest from the project's goals. If his beliefs are beneficial to the project, then everything is okay. If beliefs help him rather than the project, then we should do something.

. Often, a colleague can cover up his incompetence by referring to the opinion of authority. Such a move allows him to relieve himself of the burden of argumentation, and at the same time, show his loyalty to the leadership. If all our questions to him are forwarded to the "authority," we should contact the "authority" to clarify the situation. If this is not possible, we can find public statements from the same authority that support our position and use them as a counter-argument.

. More often than not, people do not understand the colossal damage that incompetent team members cause. We should understand that damage means not only direct harm but also the inability to use opportunities for the growth and development of the project. If an incompetent colleague did not do anything tangible for half a year, colossal damage was due to all those opportunities he could not see/realize during this half a year. That is why we should avoid the status quo and either help a colleague develop or remove him from the team. Not for our comfort, but for the success of the project.