I have a hard time accepting this. Although I appreciate that organizations have people who have reached their particular Peter Principle level, the thought that everybody will eventually reach it is too dispiriting to accept. I'm much more favorably disposed to accept the Uncle Principle. It puts a positive spin on people's potential. Think about it.
Every organization has people who cry uncle too soon, too late or never at all.
The ones who cry uncle too soon are either lazy, unhappy, unmotivated, improperly trained or in over their heads. We all know the type. You give them an assignment and they come back to you either with the job half-done or with an excuse about why it can't be done at all. It sometimes takes months or years to identify these people, because they're very clever about how they sidestep hard work. The Uncle Principle, however, forces you to see employees in a new light - by how they accept or reject more work.