THE GUIDE
The 9-box grid: what it is and how to use it fairly
The 9-box grid places each person on two scales: performance (how well they do their job today) and potential (how much more they could take on). The result is a simple picture of your team that helps with development plans, succession and pay conversations.
It is a thinking tool for managers, not a label for people. Use it to decide what each person needs next, and keep the grid itself private.
The nine boxes
- Future leader (high performance, high potential): plan the next role and give real responsibility.
- High performer (high performance, medium potential): keep them challenged and ask what they want.
- Trusted expert (high performance, low potential): reward, keep, and use them to teach others.
- Rising talent (medium performance, high potential): stretch work and a mentor.
- Core player (medium, medium): the backbone of most teams. Regular feedback and small stretches.
- Solid contributor (medium performance, low potential): recognise reliability and check role fit.
- Rough diamond (low performance, high potential): coach closely and check what is in the way.
- Inconsistent player (low performance, medium potential): find the cause before deciding anything.
- Under-performer (low, low): clear expectations, support and a short plan.
How to keep it fair
- Write one recent example for every placement. If you cannot, you are guessing.
- Rate performance on results and behaviour over the whole period, not the last month.
- Potential means ability and appetite for more, not how much someone reminds you of yourself.
- Calibrate with other managers so the bar is the same across teams.
- Do not tell people their box. Talk about their strengths, their next step and the support they will get.
Frequently asked questions
Performance is how well someone does their current job. Potential is how much bigger a job they could grow into, and whether they want to. Someone can be excellent now and happy where they are; that is not a problem.
No. Share the conversation, not the label. Tell each person what they do well, what to work on and what opportunities are coming.
Twice a year is common, before review and promotion cycles. Update a placement sooner if something big changes.
Grids are saved to your account if you sign in. As a guest, your work is kept only while the page is open. Nothing is shared unless you create a share link.
One-minute lessons on this
TOPIC 17Why your strongest performer still needs honest feedback
TOPIC 14Why the five-year question does not help people grow
TOPIC 26How comparing people quietly turns a team against itself
TOPIC 13The cost of putting off a performance conversation
TOPIC 01Why hard work alone won’t get you promoted
TOPIC 21