Managing Talent:

9-Box Performance Potential Matrix

Presented By:
HR Department
Marginal (Under Performer)

Employees in this grid are often said to

be “icebergs”

 Poor performance
 Spotty track record of delivering results
 Doing just enough to get by
 Not considered ready, willing, or able for
future roles
Marginal (Under Performer)

Action Steps to Deal with the Under Performer Category:

 Initiate the Performance Improvement Process for the confirmed employee and
assess him/her on the following parameters:
 Assigning more appropriate tasks
 To facilitate such employees with more suitable direction, purpose and opportunities
 To consider a performance management approach instead of a developmental
approach
 Coaching and feedback should be remedial
 Finding and fixing the difficult areas
 To Build Trust and resolve the professional/personal issues if any
 Clear roadblocks and prepare employees for development
 Scientific Job Assignment
 Uncovering the Disconnects
 Inquiry/assessment of what employees are good at?
Specialist (Effective)

The ideal path for Specialist

employees is to move up/out;

 Have a valued, but narrow and non-

transferable skill set
 Limited to current role
 Solid performance
 Comfortable with where they are
Specialist (Effective)

Action Steps to Deal with the Specialist Category:

 Allow them to work independently and create their own

succession path
 Perhaps other roles exist in the organization where they
can continue to perform, but do so with more potential for
the future.
 They seek more promising opportunities, which requires a
push to enhance the limited potential
Expert (Trusted Professional)

These individuals are exceeding expectations

along Performance but failing along Potential;

 Recognized for a valued, unique, and expert skill set

 Strong performance, can exceed expectations
 Can serve as seasoned advisors
 Thought leaders who typically enjoy their area of
expertise and do not typically desire upward mobility

They are, currently, performing extremely well

in their current role and the classic mistake in
management practice has been to promote
these individuals, thereby achieving the oft-
maligned "Peter Principle" - promoting a person
into a role where they perform incompetently
Expert (Trusted Professional)

Action Steps to Deal with the Expert Category:

 Encourage their retention, watch signs of boredom,

provide rewards and recognition.
 Impart chances for corporate presentations,
participation at external conferences, etc..
 Chance to develop broader skill set and knowledge
base. Utilize their assets toward teaching or coaching
others.
Questionable Fit (Dilemma)

These are employees who have some

potential to be great, yet are not high
performers;

 Future potential is unclear

 Low or no demonstrated track record
 May be trying hard but struggling to achieve
results
 Match between the role and their skills is
questionable
Questionable Fit (Dilemma)

Action Steps to Deal with the Questionable

Fit Category:

 Benefits from a peer mentor who can guide

them through the predicament they are facing.
 Assessing the role match is key. If not
performing, then moving them out to a different
role is another option.
Contributor (Core Employees)

Developing your Core talent in the center

square of your 9-Box is proceeding
directly along the path of your
succession plan. 

 Backbone to success of business and team

 Well placed with opportunity to grow within
current role
 Strong performance and may exceed
expectations at times
Contributor (Core Employees)

Action Steps to Deal with the Contributor

Category:
 Provide coaching and training that builds both
technical expertise and leadership skill
 Give them short-term assignments or projects that
expose them to the types of challenges they'll face
at the next level
 Praise their accomplishments in the present role and
build trust with to make them ready to make the next
move
 Ensure that they know they are valued, listen to their
ideas and monitor their behavior for signs of
complacence or dissatisfaction
Emerging Star (High Impact Performer)

The High Impact Performer group

shows some potential for having a
greater impact.

 Outpace others
 Very high performance and
consistent results
 Worry-free candidate for future
growth and development
 Potential may be limited by their
global mobility or own aspiration
Emerging Star (High Impact Performer)

Action Steps to Deal with the Emerging Star

Category:

 Provide them with "stretch" assignments –

requiring skills and abilities that are beyond their
current role
 Challenge them to be high performers in a
higher profile role
 Find a mentor for them that is at least one level
up on your organization chart
 Promote relationship building among other high
performing talent in your 9-Box
 Make short-term job rotations or job swaps
readily available to them
Needs Coaching (Enigma)

These individuals are exceeding

expectations along Potential but failing
along Performance.

 Highly driven
 Ambitiously aspire to move swiftly
upward in the organization
 Junior to the organization or new to the
industry
 Do not have a fully demonstrated track
record of performance
Needs Coaching (Enigma)

Action Steps to Deal with the Needs Coaching

Category:

 Research about disconnect between Job Responsibilities

Assigned and Performance
 Make their developmental plan contingent on performance
improvement.
 Include efforts to give them the technical skills they need to
perform at the required level.
 To do Investment in development only in showcase of
measurable improvements
 Ask a trusted professional to mentor and coach an Enigma
Rising Star (Growth Employee)

These are employees of your talent pool

who may not have achieved in
performance what they reveal in potential;

 High growth employees

 High capacity and ambition to expand role,
scope, and complexity
 Solid performance most of time and at times
exceed goals
 High global mobility and willingness to go
where the opportunity is
Rising Star (Growth Employee)

Action Steps to Deal with the Rising Star

Category:

 Challenge them with a start-up

assignment (high-profile activity) to
exhibit ownership
 Consider matching them to a higher
performing mentor.
 For more junior members, provide task
them to do a "clean up" in an area of
disrepair
 Make short-term job rotations or job
swaps readily available to them
Star (Future Leaders)

These are people in your organization who

are realizing their full potential while at the
same time performing at their peak;

 Best of the best

 Exceptional performance
 Deliver consistent and sustainable results
 Possess enormous drive for achievement
and ambition
 Stellar role models for both ‘what’ and
‘how’ results are achieved
Star (Future Leaders)

Action Steps to Deal with the Star Category:

 Give them challenging, stretch assignments doing
things nobody else has done.
 Earmark them for start-ups or spin-offs where they
will add even more tools to their arsenal
 Identify parts of your organization & assign a Future
Leader to transform performance. 
 Impart exclusive training opportunities, send them to
national or international conferences,
 Formation of a cross-functional association among
Future Leaders that serves to build relationships.
 Allow them elite access and exposure to the CEO,
senior leaders and the governance structures in
your organization.
 Provide them with opportunities where they can
unhook from their present role and walk with
another in a role they may hold in the future.
Ideal Talent Mix in Organization

Start Up/High Business

Needs Rising Star Star
Coaching 20% 15%
5%
Questionable Contributor Emerging Star
Fit 10% 20%
0%
Marginal Specialist Expert
0% 10% 20%

Growing Business
Needs Rising Star Star
Coaching 10% 15%
5%
Questionable Contributor Emerging Star
Fit 10% 15%
5%
Marginal Specialist Expert
5% 15% 20%
Thank You