| Overall Talent |
Top 10% of those at this salary level |
65th-89th percentile at
this salary level |
Below the 65th percentile at this
salary level |
| Vision |
Facilitates the creation and communication of
a compelling and strategically sound vision |
Vision lacks credibility; somewhat unrealistic
or strategically flawed |
Embraces tradition over forward thinking |
| Intelligence |
130 or higher IQ; a "quick study":
able to perform rapid complex analyses |
120-129 IQ; smart, but not as insightful as
an A player |
110-119; has difficulty coping with new, complex
situations |
| Leadership |
Initiates needed change; highly adaptive and
able to "sell" the organization on change |
Favors modest, incremental change, so there
is lukewarm "followership" |
Prefers the status Quo; lacks credibility, so
people are hesitant to follow |
| Drive |
Passionate; extremely high energy level; fast
paced; 55(+) hour work weeks |
Motivated; energetic at times; 50-54 hour work
weeks |
Dedicated; inconsistent pace; 40-49 hour work
weeks |
| Resourcefulness |
Impressive ability to find new ways over, under,
around, and through barriers; invents new paradigms |
Open minded and will occasionally find a new
solution |
Requires specific direction |
| Customer Focus |
Extremely sensitive and adaptive to both stated
and unstated customer needs. |
Knows that "customer is king" but
does not act on it as often as A players |
Too inwardly focused; misjudges the inelasticity
of demand for the firm's products and services |
| Topgrading |
Hires A players and employees with A potential;
has the "edge" to make the tough calls and remove chronic C players |
Hires mostly B's and an occasional C player;
accepts less than top performance |
Hires mostly C players; crises occur due to
low talent level; tolerates mediocrity |
| Coaching |
Successfully counsel, mentors and teaches each
team member to turbo-boost performance and personal/career growth |
Performs annual performance reviews and some
additional feedback; is "spotty", inconsistent in coaching |
Inaccessible, hypercritical, stingy with praise,
and late/shallow with feedback; avoids career discussions |
| Team Building |
Creates focused, collaborative, results-driven
teams; energizes others |
May want teamwork but does not make it happen |
Drains energy from others; actions prevent synergy |
| Track Record |
Exceeds expectations of employees, customers,
and shareholders |
Meets key constituency expectations |
Sporadically meets expectations |
| Integrity |
"Ironclad" |
Generally honest |
"Bends the rules" |
| Communication |
Excellent oral/written skills |
Average oral/written skills |
Mediocre skills |