You Get Less Competent the More You Run Away from Challenges in the Workplace

Competence isn’t a static trait—it’s a muscle that grows with use and atrophies with neglect. Just like lifting weights at the gym, building workplace competence requires pushing through discomfort and embracing challenges. For HR leaders, understanding this dynamic is key to fostering a workforce that doesn’t just survive but thrives. Running away from challenges might feel good in the moment, but it erodes competence over time. Let’s explore why this happens and how HR can encourage employees to face challenges head-on.

Competence Is Like a Muscle
Imagine stepping into a gym for the first time and lifting weights. The next morning, your muscles ache, screaming at you to stop. This pain comes from stressing muscles that aren’t used to the pressure. It’s uncomfortable, even daunting. But here’s the secret: the only way to make the pain go away is to keep lifting. Push through, and the discomfort fades as your muscles grow stronger. Stop, and you’ll stay weak—or worse, regress.
The same principle applies to workplace competence. When employees tackle new challenges—whether it’s a tough project, a tight deadline, or a complex problem—they’re flexing their professional muscles. It might feel like “murder” at first, but this struggle is the small price of growth. As we discussed in Competence: The True Building Block of Real Confidence in the Workplace, real growth comes from effort, not avoidance.

The Trap of Running Away
Many employees—and even leaders—misinterpret discomfort as a signal to stop. When a task feels hard, their instinct is to take it easy, focusing on what’s familiar and comfortable. This is the rookie mistake of workplace growth. By listening to the part of themselves that craves ease, they’re avoiding the very stress that builds competence. They might stick to “tried and proven” methods, shying away from innovation or risk.

But here’s the catch: competence isn’t static. The Forbes article on leadership discipline notes that skills erode without use. If you don’t challenge what you know, you miss opportunities to deepen your expertise, connect the dots, and see the bigger picture. Over time, the value of your knowledge diminishes, and you become less competent, less adaptable, and less valuable.

Why Challenges Build Competence
Challenges are the gym for your professional skills. They force you to:
Question what you think you know.
Break problems apart and rebuild solutions.
Discover better ways to articulate and apply your expertise.
This process isn’t easy—it involves discomfort, inconvenience, and even failure. But that’s the point. Avoiding challenges keeps you stagnant, while facing them head-on takes your competence to the next level. As SHRM’s viewpoint on employee discipline highlights, growth comes from pushing through adversity, not coasting on past achievements.

How HR Can Encourage Facing Challenges
HR leaders can help employees build competence by creating a culture that rewards challenge-seeking behavior. Here’s how:
Assign Stretch Projects: Give employees tasks that push their limits, as outlined in our previous article on competence.
Normalize Discomfort: Teach that struggle is a sign of growth, not failure, using training and coaching.

Model Resilience: Encourage leaders to share stories of overcoming challenges, showing that competence is earned.
Support Growth: Provide resources like skill development programs, as SHRM’s progressive discipline policy suggests for performance improvement.
By fostering an environment where challenges are embraced, HR can help employees build the competence—and confidence—to excel.

Take Action: Stop Running, Start Growing
Running away from challenges might feel safe, but it’s a surefire way to become less competent over time. HR leaders, it’s time to encourage your team to flex their professional muscles. Push them to tackle the hard stuff, support them through the discomfort, and watch their competence soar. Want a roadmap to step up your game? Revisit Article #2 for strategies to build competence-based confidence, or start today by assigning one stretch goal to your team.

How will you help your team face challenges head-on? Share your thoughts below!