# Example: Prepare a Talent Review

Fictional company, team and people.

## What the user pasted

> Talent review for the Finance Ops team at Harbourline Foods, H1 2026 (Jan–Jun). Feeds succession for the Finance Ops Lead role. We use a 9-box: performance (vs goals) × potential (not formally defined). Our Box 9 = high performance / high potential, Box 5 = moderate performance / moderate potential. Meeting 14 July.
>
> **R.M., Senior Accountant (manager: Dana):** Box 9. Led the ERP month-end migration, close went from 8 to 5 days (March). Everyone loves her. Wants to lead a team "in the next year or two".
>
> **T.O., Accountant:** Box 5. Solid, hit all goals. Quiet in meetings, not sure he has leadership potential. Handled the audit request list alone in May, auditor thanked him in writing.
>
> **L.B., AP Specialist:** Box 7? Great last month on the supplier cleanup (June). Earlier in the year missed two payment-run deadlines (Feb). Just back from maternity leave in January.
>
> Critical role: Finance Ops Lead (Dana herself), she may relocate in about 12 months. Cover: R.M., "ready in 1 year".

## What the skill produced

# Talent review pack: Finance Ops, H1 2026 (Jan–Jun)

**Purpose:** Development and succession planning for Finance Ops Lead · **Framework:** 9-box, performance × potential (potential not defined; labels supplied for Box 9 and Box 5 only) · **Meeting:** 14 July · **Facilitator:** [TBC]

## Agenda

1. Agree what "potential" means here, with observable examples, before discussing anyone
2. Group check: is each person's evidence judged against the time they were actually in the role?
3. Review R.M., T.O., L.B.: evidence, proposed placement, calibration prompts
4. Continuity for Finance Ops Lead
5. Agree actions and owners

## Overview

| Person | Role | Proposed placement (as supplied) | Evidence recorded | Calibration prompt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R.M. | Senior Accountant | High performance / high potential | Limited | Halo |
| T.O. | Accountant | Moderate performance / moderate potential | Limited | Similar-to-me |
| L.B. | AP Specialist | Box 7 (tentative) [TBC: label] | Limited | Recency |

## Person pages

### R.M., Senior Accountant

- **Proposed placement:** High performance / high potential (Dana)
- **Evidence:** Led ERP month-end migration; close cut from 8 to 5 days (Dana, March)
- **Evidence for the placement:** Clear, measurable result on a cross-team project
- **Evidence against / gaps:** None supplied. No examples of leading or developing people
- **Unverified:** "Everyone loves her" (no source or example)
- **Employee's aspirations:** Wants to lead a team "in the next year or two"
- **Development options to discuss:** From her aspiration to lead a team and the gap in people-leadership evidence: lead a small project team (experience); mentoring from another team lead (people); a people-management course (learning)
- **Calibration prompts:** Is the high potential rating based on next-level behaviour, or on one strong project?

### T.O., Accountant

- **Proposed placement:** Moderate performance / moderate potential (Dana)
- **Evidence:** Met all goals (Dana, H1). Handled the audit request list alone; written thanks from the auditor (May)
- **Evidence for the placement:** Goals met
- **Evidence against / gaps:** Independent audit work may point higher on performance
- **Unverified:** "Not sure he has leadership potential" (no example given)
- **Employee's aspirations:** [TBC]
- **Development options to discuss:** [TBC: to agree with the employee]
- **Calibration prompts:** Is "quiet in meetings" linked to outcomes in this role, or to style?

### L.B., AP Specialist

- **Proposed placement:** Box 7, marked tentative [TBC: label] (Dana)
- **Evidence:** Supplier cleanup (June). Missed two payment-run deadlines (February)
- **Evidence for the placement:** Supplier cleanup in June, described by Dana as "great"
- **Evidence against / gaps:** February deadlines; little evidence for March–May
- **Unverified:** Details of the supplier cleanup outcome
- **Employee's aspirations:** [TBC]
- **Development options to discuss:** [TBC: to agree with the employee]
- **Calibration prompts:** Does the placement reflect the full period or mainly June?

## Critical-role continuity

| Critical role | Current holder | Risk and time horizon (as supplied) | Named cover and readiness (as supplied) | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finance Ops Lead | Dana | Possible relocation, about 12 months | R.M., ready in 1 year | Only one name; no interim cover |

## Action log

| # | Action | Owner | Due | Review point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Agree a definition of "potential" | [TBC] | Before 14 July | Meeting start |
| 2 | Ask T.O. and L.B. about their aspirations | Dana | [TBC] | [TBC] |
| 3 | Agree interim cover for Finance Ops Lead | [TBC] | [TBC] | [TBC] |
| 4 | Confirm the label for Box 7 | [TBC] | Before 14 July | Meeting start |

## Notes

- Check whether employee representatives (e.g. a works council) must be consulted on this process before the meeting.

## Open questions

- Who facilitates the meeting? [TBC]
- What is the label for Box 7 in your grid? [TBC]
- What are T.O.'s and L.B.'s own aspirations? [TBC]
- Comments were left out because they referred to protected characteristics (family status).