The Skill-Will Matrix

Heard of Danny Meyer?
He’s a legendary New York restauranteur known for
Shake Shack, Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Manhatta, etc.

On the Tim Ferriss Show, he talked about this simple
(but brutally-effective) 2×2 matrix.

It’s the best framework for people managers to
decide which team members need most of their time.

He scores each team member on two things:
Willingness (motivation)
+ Ability (skill).

———

So, where on the chart does he spend the most time
as a leader?

Many people would say the bottom two quadrants
↳ the folks who need motivation or need to move on.

Danny disagrees.

He spends the MOST time with the top two quadrants
↳ the high performers and those who are new to the team.

Why? Because they are the key to long-term success.

It’s MUCH easier to teach a skill than to teach motivation.

———

And guess what…

Danny doesn’t just keep this matrix in his own head.
He put it on the mirror of his employees’ locker room.

He’s 100% transparent in how he manages his team.

So every time they get ready for work, they can decide
where they are now (and where they want to be). 🙌