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A plain-English guide to talent review
What a nine box is, how a talent review works, and what succession planning is and is not. Written for the people who run institutions and businesses and carry the decisions.
Do I need this? · The nine box · The talent review · Succession planning · Honest limits
Do I need this?
If your people drive your results, this is for you
You may run a school, a district office, a nonprofit or a company. Either way, your results rest on a handful of people in key roles. A talent review shows you who they are. It shows who could grow into more, and who would step in if someone left.
It helps when…
- Losing one person would leave a key role with no obvious cover.
- Promotions and opportunities are decided from memory or by who speaks up.
- Every development dollar and every hour has to count.
- Your board, superintendent or owner asks how ready your leadership bench is.
- You carry several roles yourself and need to know who could take some on.
You do not need…
- An HR department. One leader with a list of people can run this.
- A large budget. The free version covers up to 5 people, and paid plans start at $49 a month.
- Special training. The steps are the same ones good leaders already use informally.
- A big organization. Any size has key roles that matter.
The aim is simple: make these decisions on purpose, and plan ahead before a resignation or retirement forces the issue.
The nine box
Two questions about each person, one picture
Each person lands on a grid. The column is how they perform now. The row is their capacity to take on more. The result is a starting point for planning, not a verdict on anyone.
- Column: performance. It comes from the annual rating. Ratings 1 and 2 sit in the left column, 3 in the middle, 4 and 5 on the right.
- Row: potential. The reviewer decides, from what they have seen: High, Growth or At (well matched to the current role).
- Where people can go. Any of the nine boxes. The column follows the rating, and the row is your judgment. Every box has a different next step, shown below.
Capacity for more, but results are below expectations right now. Look first for causes you can change: role fit, clarity, support or time in the job.
Solid results and room to take on more. Offer stretch work, a mentor and a clear path.
Excellent results and the capacity for a bigger role. Name them in succession plans and keep in touch about what they want next.
Results are below expectations, with some room to grow. Agree a clear plan, regular check-ins and a timeline.
Dependable results and steady growth. These people carry much of the work. Keep developing them.
Excellent results with room to keep growing. Recognize them and explore a wider role over time.
Results are below expectations and the role may not be the right fit. Talk with them directly and supportively about options.
Steady, dependable and well matched to the work. Keep them engaged and their skills current.
Excellent results and a strong fit. Recognize their expertise and use them to mentor others.
When a leader sees it differently
Sometimes a reviewer or senior leader disagrees with where the rating puts someone. In BackBeat you can drag that person to a different column, or choose Override placement, and give a reason. They are flagged as manually adjusted on the grid, the dashboard, reports and the saved file. Everyone can see what changed and why. This is a normal part of a review. The note keeps the record clear.
The talent review
One planning review a year that pays off all year
A talent review is the meeting leaders hold after annual reviews. It combines each person’s results with their potential, so decisions about development, opportunity and succession are made on purpose.
Gather ratings
Finish performance reviews so each person has a rating.
Place people
Each manager proposes a potential for their people. The column follows the rating.
Talk it through
Leaders compare notes. Where they disagree, they adjust the placement and record why.
Decide actions
Agree next steps for each box: stretch work, coaching, a support plan, recognition.
Plan succession
Choose your critical roles and name who could step in, and when.
Revisit
Do it again next year, and compare it with this one.
Why it matters. It gives you a more consistent look at everyone, not only the most visible. It helps you see strengths and gaps earlier. And it turns talent into decisions you can explain.
Succession planning
Knowing who could step in, and how soon
Succession planning looks at your critical roles and asks who could fill each one if it opened, today or with development. It is as much about growing people as about covering risk.
What it is
- A short list of critical roles, and the people who could grow into each.
- An honest read of how ready each person is: now, in 1 to 2 years, or in 2 to 3 years.
- A guide to where you need to develop people or hire.
- Useful for any role that would be hard to leave empty, not only the top one.
What it is not
- A promise or a promotion. Naming someone does not guarantee a role.
- A plan to replace people who are doing their jobs well.
- A list to share widely. It is confidential and for leaders.
- A formal assessment. It is a planning aid that supports your judgment.
Honest limits
A tool for your judgment, not a replacement for it
- BackBeat helps you organize and discuss. It does not decide anything for you, and it does not predict who will succeed.
- It is not legal or HR advice. Follow your own policies and the laws that apply to you, especially around hiring, promotion and records about employees.
- Nine box and succession information is sensitive. Keep it with the leaders who need it. Do not share a person’s placement with them without a plan for how you will talk with them.
- Where a group has fewer than 5 people, any percentage can point to one person. We say so in the dashboard.
See it with sample data, or start with your own people.
It takes a minute to see whether it fits.