Managers guide to 9-box grid

Purpose

The 9 Box Grid is a talent management tool used to help leadership and management assess employees across two dimensions:

• Performance – how effectively the employee is performing in their current role
• Potential – the employee's capacity to develop, grow or take on greater complexity or responsibility in the future

The purpose of the grid is to support structured management discussions about talent, development, succession, retention and performance.

Important: this is a management assessment

The 9 Box Grid is not normally completed by employees themselves.

Employees should have appropriate opportunities to discuss their performance, achievements, career aspirations, development needs and support requirements through normal management processes. However, the assessment of where an employee sits on the grid is a management and leadership decision.

A line manager may prepare an initial assessment of their direct reports, but the assessment should normally be reviewed through a wider leadership or management talent review. This provides an opportunity to challenge assumptions, compare standards and agree a more consistent organisational view.

How the grid works

Understanding performance

Performance should consider how effectively the employee is delivering in their current role. Managers should consider evidence such as:

• Achievement of agreed objectives and targets
• Quality and consistency of work
• Delivery against role responsibilities
• Relevant behaviours and values
• Reliability and accountability
• Contribution to team and business objectives
• Progress against agreed development or improvement objectives

High performance

The employee consistently performs at or above the required standard and delivers strong results in their current role.

Medium performance

The employee generally meets expectations but may have areas where performance, consistency, capability or experience could be further developed.

Low performance

The employee is not consistently meeting the requirements of their current role or agreed objectives. Managers should establish why performance is below expectation before deciding what action is appropriate.

Understanding potential

Potential is about future capability. It should not simply mean that a manager likes the employee, that they are ambitious or that they are good at their current job.

Managers should consider evidence such as:

• Ability and willingness to learn
• Ability to handle increased complexity
• Adaptability when circumstances change
• Ability to take on broader responsibility
• Leadership behaviours where relevant
• Ability to influence, communicate and work effectively with others
• Evidence that the employee can apply learning in new situations
• Capacity to develop beyond their current role

Potential should not be confused with immediate readiness for promotion. Someone may have strong potential but require further experience and development before they are ready for a more senior role.

The nine boxes

Box 1 – Low Performance / Low Potential

What it means: The employee is currently performing below the required standard and there is currently limited evidence of potential to move beyond their present level.

What managers should consider:

• Is the employee clear about what is expected?
• Have they received appropriate training and support?
• Are there capability, health, role-fit or other factors affecting performance?
• Is the current role appropriate for the employee?

Typical next steps:

• Clarify expectations and required standards
• Provide appropriate support or training
• Set clear and measurable improvement objectives where required
• Consider whether the role is a good fit
• Use the appropriate capability or performance process if genuine concerns remain

Important: Placement in this box should not automatically result in dismissal. Any formal performance action must follow the organisation's appropriate process.

Box 2 – Low Performance / Medium Potential

What it means: Current performance is below expectation, but there is evidence that the employee could develop and perform more effectively with appropriate support.

Typical next steps:

• Identify the reasons for the current performance gap
• Provide targeted training, coaching or support
• Clarify role expectations and priorities
• Set measurable improvement objectives
• Review progress within an agreed timescale

The key question is whether the employee can demonstrate sustained improvement when given appropriate support.

Box 3 – Low Performance / High Potential

What it means: The employee is not currently performing at the required level, but management sees evidence of significant capacity to develop.

This may occur where someone is new to a role, has recently taken on greater responsibility, has not received the right development or may be better suited to different work.

Typical next steps:

• Investigate the reason for the performance gap
• Provide structured support and development
• Set clear current-role expectations
• Consider mentoring or coaching
• Review role fit and responsibilities where appropriate
• Set a defined review point to assess whether performance is improving

High potential should not be used as a reason to overlook current performance expectations.

Box 4 – Medium Performance / Low Potential

What it means: The employee is generally performing at the required level but there is currently limited evidence that they are likely to move into substantially more complex or senior responsibilities.

This is not necessarily a negative assessment. An employee may be highly effective and valuable in their current role without wanting or needing promotion.

Typical next steps:

• Maintain effective performance
• Recognise the employee's contribution
• Provide relevant development within the current role
• Consider opportunities to deepen expertise
• Do not assume that promotion is the only form of career development

Box 5 – Medium Performance / Medium Potential

What it means: The employee is a solid contributor with scope to improve current performance and develop further.

Typical next steps:

• Identify specific development priorities
• Improve performance consistency where required
• Set meaningful development objectives
• Provide coaching, training or mentoring
• Review progress at the next talent review

This is often an important development population because relatively small improvements in capability and performance may create significant future value.

Box 6 – Medium Performance / High Potential

What it means: The employee demonstrates strong future potential but is not yet consistently performing at the highest level in their current role.

Typical next steps:

• Identify what is preventing higher current performance
• Provide targeted development
• Use mentoring or coaching
• Provide controlled stretch assignments
• Increase exposure to different areas of the business where appropriate
• Monitor whether current performance develops towards a high level

Do not promote solely because an employee has been identified as high potential. Development and readiness should be assessed separately.

Box 7 – High Performance / Low Potential

What it means: The employee is performing strongly in their current role but there is currently limited evidence that they will move into substantially more complex responsibilities.

This is not a negative category. Many organisations depend on highly capable specialists and experienced employees who provide significant value without moving into management.

Typical next steps:

• Recognise and retain the employee
• Continue to support strong performance
• Develop specialist knowledge and expertise
• Consider mentoring or knowledge-sharing responsibilities
• Discuss the employee's own career interests rather than assuming promotion is required

Box 8 – High Performance / Medium Potential

What it means: The employee is performing strongly and shows some capacity for broader responsibility, but further development or experience may be needed before they are ready for significantly more complex roles.

Typical next steps:

• Recognise strong current performance
• Provide broader development opportunities
• Use stretch assignments or project responsibility
• Provide mentoring or leadership exposure where appropriate
• Develop specific capability required for the next potential role
• Review readiness and potential at future talent reviews

Box 9 – High Performance / High Potential

What it means: The employee is performing strongly in their current role and there is strong evidence that they could develop into more complex or senior responsibilities.

This group may form an important part of succession planning, but high potential should still be supported by evidence and should not automatically mean immediate promotion.

Typical next steps:

• Create a targeted development plan
• Consider stretch assignments and broader responsibilities
• Provide mentoring or leadership development
• Consider succession opportunities for appropriate roles
• Build experience across different areas of the organisation
• Consider retention and engagement risks
• Assess readiness for specific future roles separately

How the talent review should work

1. Managers prepare

Each manager reviews their direct reports and prepares an evidence-based view of performance and potential. Managers should avoid making assessments based purely on personality, personal preference or one recent event.

2. Leadership reviews and challenges

The management or leadership team reviews the proposed assessments together. Managers should be prepared to explain the evidence supporting their assessment.

3. Calibration takes place

The group considers whether similar standards are being applied across teams. Where one manager's definition of "high performance" or "high potential" appears materially different from another's, the group should discuss and calibrate the assessment.

4. Final placement is agreed

Once the evidence and context have been discussed, the leadership or management group agrees the appropriate current placement.

5. Actions are agreed

Every placement should result in an appropriate management action. The review should not finish with a completed grid and no plan.

Evidence managers should bring

• Performance against agreed objectives
• Quality and consistency of work
• Relevant behavioural evidence
• Skills and capability demonstrated in the current role
• Examples of learning and adaptability
• Evidence of handling increased responsibility
• Development progress
• Relevant feedback from colleagues, customers or stakeholders
• Evidence supporting any concerns or positive assessment

What managers should not use as evidence

• Personal friendship or dislike
• Personality preference
• Age or assumptions about career stage
• Assumptions about family or caring responsibilities
• Protected characteristics
• Unsubstantiated rumours or hearsay
• One isolated incident without considering the wider evidence
• Whether someone is naturally confident or outspoken

Do not confuse potential with ambition

An employee does not have to want promotion to be a high-value employee. Equally, wanting promotion does not by itself demonstrate high potential.

Managers should assess demonstrated capability and future capacity separately from an employee's personal career aspirations.

Do not confuse potential with promotion readiness

Potential asks whether an employee could develop into a more complex role. Readiness asks whether they are ready for a particular role now.

An employee may therefore be assessed as high potential while still requiring significant development before being ready for promotion.

The employee's role in the process

Employees should normally contribute to the wider performance and development process through:

• Performance reviews and objectives
• Development conversations
• Career discussions
• Identifying training and development needs
• Providing information about achievements and challenges
• Discussing support or adjustments that may be required

However, the employee should not be asked to decide which 9 Box category they belong in. The grid is a management and leadership assessment designed to support organisational talent decisions.

What happens after the review

Once the grid has been agreed, managers should translate the assessment into practical action.

Important principles for managers

• The 9 Box Grid is a management tool, not an employee ranking exercise.
• Use evidence rather than instinct.
• Assess performance and potential separately.
• Do not assume high performance automatically means high potential.
• Do not assume high potential means immediate promotion.
• Do not treat any box as a permanent label.
• Consider disability and reasonable adjustments where relevant.
• Challenge assumptions and calibrate assessments across managers.
• Do not force employees into boxes simply to achieve a preferred distribution.
• Every assessment should lead to an appropriate action or decision.

Recommended review frequency

The organisation should determine how frequently the 9 Box Grid is reviewed. A formal talent review every 6–12 months is a practical starting point, with individual development and performance actions reviewed more frequently where appropriate.

An employee's position should be reconsidered when there is a significant change in role, performance, capability, development, business requirements or other relevant circumstances.

Confidentiality and records

9 Box assessments should be treated as confidential management information and only shared with people who have a legitimate need to access it.

Records should be accurate, securely stored and retained in accordance with the organisation's employment records and data protection arrangements.

Final reminder for managers

The value of the 9 Box Grid is not the box itself. The value comes from the quality of the discussion that puts the employee there and the action that follows.

A good 9 Box review should answer three questions:

1. How well is this person performing in their current role?
2. What evidence is there of their future potential?
3. What are we going to do about it?