Webinar: 9 Steps to 9 Box Success

Time is moving quickly for all of us, and before you know it, someone it feels you just onboarded may be preparing to move onto a new role. Often, HR leaders feel a bit lost or confused when it comes to succession planning because they have gotten used to a particular employee working in that position – they can’t imagine anyone else there. They may not know how to fill their role from within.

So what can be done to prepare for the future and ensure a seamless transition when a vital team member departs?

The solution is to participate in succession planning with the 9-box grid. You’ll successfully identify employees lower on the org chart who can be promoted when the time comes – and it will come.

During this webinar, you’ll get:

• A deep dive into what a 9-box is and how to use it
• Tips and tricks for using a 9 Box performance assessment for all of your employees
• Information about how to make succession planning easier

Click here to watch this webinar on-demand!

Want to learn more about succession planning? Check out our comprehensive guide here!

Taking Action Using 9-Box

Here are some concrete examples of how you can take action on the data from the 9-Box report!

• Top Talent: Use a manager check-in to understand their career goals - or enroll them in some manager training in Learn!  It might be time to submit a Hire Request in Hire to begin backfilling their position if they are promoted.  And keep them in the know about any internal openings so that they can apply directly via Hire.
• Develop: Get your future-minded employees into a position where they’re performing and in a stronger position with some soft-skills training in Learn.  It may be time to gather additional feedback from peers or other leaders via the 360-rater feature.
• Underperformers: Create a course in Learn to focus on the essential skills for their role.  Create a PIP using Perform.  Open a Hire Request in Hire if you need to hire a replacement soon.
• Proven Performers: Keep these employees happy - they’re the backbone of your company!  Survey them with engagement surveys to ensure they’re doing well and see what they may want to do next.  Continue their development through soft skill training in Learn. 

9 Steps to 9-Box Success

1. Talk with your managers and people leaders about the 9-box and why it is essential so they are ready to use it!
2. Pair your 9-box with a performance review to maximize its potential and help chart someone’s course with your company. Trakstar Perform makes this simple!
3. Make sure you understand the difference between performance and potential.
   1. Performance—what someone is doing
   2. Potential—what they are capable of doing in the future
4. Be fair, prepared, and specific when you provide feedback using the 9-box - this will get easier with time!
5. Document everything that goes into your 9-box usage and employee performance.
6. Pair your succession plan with talent and leadership development. Work with your learning & development team to create training programs or find external programs to develop your top talent—like Trakstar Learn.
7. Don’t let the label—good or bad—define your employee. 9-Box is a jumping-off point for great conversations and development plans.
8. Open up the table for conversations and feedback. Don’t assume what an employee wants from the 9-box assessment!
9. Create a culture of leadership. Succession planning with the nine-box approach works best when there is a commitment from senior management to participate and develop employees.