Come to Play
Talent Assessment
Know your role. Accept your role. Play your role.
As a leader, you are a coach as much as a manager. This assessment is the work of the leader as coach: seeing one person clearly, so you can help them know their role, accept their role and play their role.
You will rate them across six dimensions, twice. First, the performance you are seeing. Second, the expectation you hold for them. The gap between the two is where the coaching conversation lives.
There are no right answers. Write what you see, not what you hope.
Character
Who they are
Ethos
“Come to play.”
How they show up. The standards they hold themselves to when nobody is asking — preparation, presence and intent, every day, not just the good ones.
Coachability
“Curiosity, and the courage to learn and unlearn.”
How they receive the truth. Do they seek feedback or defend against it? Growth asks people to let go of what has worked before — that takes courage.
Capability
What they can do
Skills
“What they need to be good at.”
The functional capabilities of the role. Not their potential and not their effort — their current command of the craft the role demands.
Track Record
“How we will know.”
The evidence. What they have actually delivered, under real conditions, over time. Performance leaves a trail — what does theirs say?
Connection
How they belong
Relationships
“Dynamic.”
The energy they create around them. Do people work better because they are in the room? Relationships are not fixed — they are built, tested and rebuilt.
Buy In
“The work. What the role expects.”
Their commitment to the role as it actually is — not the role they wish it was. Have they signed up for the whole job, including the unglamorous parts?
The Picture
Performance vs expectation
| Dimension | Performance | Expectation | Gap |
|---|
Overall
The whole person
Standing back from the six dimensions — your overall read. This is not an average; it is a judgement.
The Conversation
From assessment to action
What does this person need from me now?
Assessment without feedback is observation. Write down the feedback this person needs from you — then test it against the three questions below before you deliver it.
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