The 4 Quadrants of Performance

The mirror is broken down into four quadrants — and it literally stares Danny Meyer’s employees in the eyes when they head to the changing rooms in his restaurants. 

On the X-axis are the words “Can” and "Can't."

On the Y are "Will" and "Won't."

Meyer, maybe the best-known restaurateur in the United States, uses this quadrant model to evaluate his employees’ skillsets and motivations — and we as leaders may benefit from utilizing it as well.

Quadrant 1: Can and Will

•The ideal team member•Someone you want to pour into and continue to inspire•“If you have somebody who can and will, I want to celebrate that person,” Meyer said.

Quadrant 2: Can’t but Will

•The most intriguing type•The ones you really need to coach, but once you do, the reward can be immense•Train them, be hands on, strengthen weaknesses and develop a relationship that’s beneficial to both parties for years to come

Quadrant 3: Can’t and Won’t

•The least valuable•The ones you want to eliminate to and quickly say this isn’t working•Demote or lose sooner rather than later

Quadrant 4: Can but Won’t

•The frustrating one•Someone is just way better than what he/she is showing but is choosing not to bring it•Will never reach his/her full potential with current habits, and it gets to a point where it’s not worth continuing to push

Meyer shared this quadrant system on a recent episode of “The Tim Ferriss Show.” The first two quadrants refer to technical abilities. The bottom two refer to their overall willingness. 

Ultimately, we all want those we lead to fall into Quadrant 1, but most won’t — and our true effectiveness will be determined by what we can do with the 2s, 3s and 4s.

Beyond just saying they’re “not where we want them to be” or dismissing our team members as ineffective, we may want to consider the quadrant system and cater our strategies to our personnel based on it.

Where people are in the mirror now doesn't have to be where they will end up.

And it's our ability to move them from quadrant to quadrant that might ultimately be the truest reflection of our leadership.