Imagine a Workplace.

Imagine a workplace where an employee could say this to their boss:

‘I don’t have the self-confidence to apply myself fully to the work you expect me to do. So instead I spend a lot of energy thinking of ways to appear to be as competent and diligent as I think you require me to be to keep my job. I’ve worked out the minimum I need to do to keep up appearances, including a menu of excuses I have for both myself and you if I fall short. I know that you don’t have the time or will it would require to monitor me enough to gather the evidence you need to prove what I know about my mediocre performance. So I rely on this to get away with my mediocrity. So, in a way, I blame you for me not pulling my weight.’

And the boss could say this back:

‘I just want the work done so I can do mine and we can be successful. I haven’t go the time or desire to supervise you enough to either lift your performance or have enough evidence to ask you to leave and not get sued.’