In our company, there are people who know their stuff way better than I do. And when everything goes according to plan, things run smoothly. But real work always brings surprises. So how do you tell if something went wrong because of the employee or not?

When progress in some area stalls for a while, I see two possible scenarios. In the first one, the work is actually being done right: solid hypotheses are built, tested and refined. Let’s call these folks the Problem-Solvers. In the second case, the person just doesn’t have the necessary knowledge or skills. Let’s call them the Pretenders.

Over time, I’ve come up with a way to spot the difference. Problem-Solvers are open during discussions. They take responsibility for mistakes, explain what’s going on in plain language and lay out a clear path forward. Their mindset is: “I know I can figure this out, I learn from my mistakes.” Pretenders, on the other hand, speak in circles, avoid clear answers and tend to blame others. Their driving force is fear of being discovered. They often rely on past achievements to cover up current gaps.

I’ve never been able to turn a Pretender into a Problem-Solver. My take is that the Pretenders have built a life around avoiding responsibility, not just at work. Real growth, I believe, only happens when someone takes ownership of their life. But when fear is the main motivator, people only learn just enough to stay hidden. That’s a dead end.

In a perfect world, a good leader knows how to spot and keep the Problem-Solvers and filter out the Pretenders before they even make it past the interview.