When a key leader resigns unexpectedly, many organisations discover they have no one ready to step in. Succession planning prevents that, and the 9-box grid is one of the most common tools for it.
What succession planning means
Succession planning is identifying the critical roles in your organisation, and making sure you have people being prepared to fill them. It's not only for the CEO. Critical roles often include plant heads, key client managers, technical experts and team leaders.
The 9-box grid explained
The grid places each person on two axes:
- Performance (current results): low, moderate, high
- Potential (future capability in bigger roles): low, moderate, high
| Low performance | Moderate performance | High performance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High potential | Rough diamond: needs support or a better-fit role | Emerging talent: develop actively | Future leader: ready or nearly ready to move up |
| Moderate potential | Inconsistent: clarify expectations | Core contributor | High performer: grow in role, stretch carefully |
| Low potential | Underperformer: performance plan or role change | Steady contributor | Trusted expert: retain and reward |
Labels vary between organisations; the logic is the same.
How to rate fairly
The grid is only as good as the ratings. Common problems are vague definitions of "potential", and managers rating their own teams generously.
- Define performance using actual results and goals, not impressions.
- Define potential with clear indicators, such as learning agility, drive, leadership behaviours and cognitive ability. See identifying high-potential employees.
- Use objective input, like assessment results, alongside manager judgement.
- Hold calibration meetings, where managers discuss and compare placements together.
- Watch for bias: visibility, similarity, recency, and language fluency mistaken for ability.
From grid to succession plan
- List critical roles and the risk if each became vacant.
- Identify successors for each: "ready now", "ready in 1–2 years", "ready in 3+ years".
- Assess gaps for each successor against the role's competencies.
- Create development plans: stretch projects, job rotations, mentoring, training.
- Track readiness every six months.
- Have an emergency cover plan for each critical role.
Mistakes to avoid
- Treating the grid as permanent. People move boxes; review regularly.
- Keeping it secret but acting on it unfairly. Be thoughtful about communication.
- Only looking at the top-right box. "Trusted experts" and "core contributors" are the backbone of most organisations.
- Developing no one. A grid without development plans is just a label.
How Future Path helps
Our talent assessment gives an objective view of potential, covering leadership, emotional intelligence, cognitive reasoning and more, across 17 competencies. Team-level talent analytics include a 9-box view, and each person gets a development roadmap from 30 days to 12 months. Succession planning is one of the talent decisions it is built for.