The most basic skill gaps go straight back to the three Rs—reading, writing, and arithmetic. I first encountered these gaps back in the 90s when implementing statistics-based tools on the manufacturing production floor. A few employees pushed back when asked to record data on charts or check sheets. It didn’t make sense. Most often these were senior employees considered good at their jobs. It wasn’t until my team took a closer look and uncovered a secret…these employees weren’t good with words or numbers. We worked through each situation by either reassigning the work or helping to bridge the gaps.