Defining A Potential: The Most Misunderstood Talent Strategy in Scaling Up

A Potential is an often misunderstood talent designation. It’s not a rescue strategy of hope for B Player underperformers. Instead, it’s a strategic hiring, developmental, and organizational design strategy for proven winners who are ready to step into bigger roles. Confusing A Potentials with B Players undermines performance and creates costly delays in decision-making. The only path for B Players is to level up to full A Player status, not to be mislabeled with hopeful titles. Precision in definitions and boldness in talent calls are essential to building high-performing teams.

• A Potential in Scaling Up is a hiring and developmental strategy—not a second chance. It’s used for high-upside employees who’ve already won elsewhere and are stepping onto a bigger stage.
• There is no rookie reset for B Players. They’ve had their shot. The only valid path is to break out and become a full A Player.
• B Players are underperformers, not developmental projects. No one intentionally hires a B Player; they are mishires—originally brought in to perform at the A Player level—and must be urgently coached to that standard or replaced.
• A Potentials must have been A Players in a prior seat. If they weren’t top 10% before, they don’t qualify now. Performance precedes potential.

In the proven Scaling Up methodology, we know the four decisions—People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash—are the levers that determine your business success. But none of those levers move if you don’t get the People decision right.

That starts with a team of 100% A Players.

But what happens when you’re hiring for growth and the right candidate hasn’t yet proven themselves as an A Player in this role? Enter the powerful but often misunderstood concept of the A Potential employee.

Seeking out A Potential talent is a recruiting, developmental and organizational design strategy—not a workaround for internal underperformance. It reflects a deliberate choice to grow top talent internally rather than pay a premium for fully formed stars, like the New York Yankees. An A Potential strategy necessitates that your playbooks, systems, and coaching are strong enough to take proven A Players from lesser industries and roles, elevate them to your bigger stage, and develop them into elite performers in your world. In essence, you develop your own talent from farm teams.

When properly applied, identifying A Potentials is one of your most valuable recruiting strategies. When misapplied, it becomes a dangerous crutch that dilutes your culture and stalls growth.

Let’s set the record straight.

What Is an A Potential—Really?

At A Player Advantage, LLC, we coach and recruit elite teams using the proven Scaling Up performance platform. Through our work with CEOs, executives, and teams in some of the world’s most ambitious companies, we’ve seen one mistake repeated far too often: B Players being mislabeled as A Potentials.

Here’s the true definition:

An A Potential Is:

• A prior A Player, in their last position or context, who’s new to the industry or new to the role.
• Less than 9 months into the new role.
• A “Do it Yourself” project.
• Showing clear, measurable 30-day growth trends and a current performance that indicates they will be an A Player within 6–9 months.
• Someone you’d bet your reputation on becoming an A Player within this timeframe.

This is a hiring and onboarding strategy—not a reclamation project nor clemency for B Players who may finally be showing sparks of improvement. B Players have only one valid path: break out and become full A Players.

A Potential Is a Strategic Bet—Not a Second Chance

Let’s be clear: A Potential is not a “rescue label” for internal B Players. They aren’t former underperformers we hope will finally click in a new role.

The A Potential label applies to someone who already knows how to win and is now stepping into new terrain on a bigger stage. They come from adjacent industries that you might consider the “minor leagues” compared to yours. For instance, when recruiting for enterprise IT solutions sales roles, we frequently source candidates from IT staffing firms. While IT staffing isn’t as strategic, these reps bring sharp selling skills and relevant industry exposure. With the right coaching and playbooks, our clients consistently develop them into high-performing strategic sellers. When executed well, this approach not only delivers results—it also creates salary arbitrage by developing undervalued talent before the market catches up.

Another powerful source of A Potentials is cross-development through internal promotions that broaden the overall strength of your organization. For example, you might promote an A Player customer service rep into an outside sales role. Their prior top-tier performance earns them the A Potential designation in the new seat. Or you may elevate your A Player controller into a vacant CFO role. While they may not be fully seasoned for the position today, their track record—and your ability to coach and develop—makes them a smart, strategic bet. In both cases, you’re leveraging proven talent, avoiding premium external hires, and reinforcing a culture that grows its own. These are true A Potentials.

Here’s the rule: An A Potential must have already performed as an A Player. If someone hasn’t been in the top 10% before, they don’t qualify now. Calling someone A Potential isn’t a guess—it’s a predictable bet based on prior evidence.

A Potential to The GOAT: The Tom Brady Playbook

You’d be hard-pressed to find a better real-world example of an A Potential than Tom Brady. Before he was the greatest of all time, he was a lightly regarded college starter, a modest sixth-round draft pick, and a clear “DIY” developmental project. But here’s the thing: he wasn’t a B Player. He was an A Potential—he had already shown he could win at a meaningful level and was stepping onto a bigger stage. The upside was there, even if the accolades weren’t.

At the University of Michigan, Brady posted a 20–5 record as a starter, including a win in the 2000 Orange Bowl. He led with poise, grit, and preparation—traits you want in any hire. But he wasn’t flashy, and he had to fight through a quarterback rotation and internal politics that often favored other players. He graduated with a solid résumé but little hype.

Enter the New England Patriots, who made him the 199th overall pick in the 2000 draft. Sixth-round quarterbacks don’t usually pan out to become starters—but Brady landed in a high-performance system built by Bill Belichick. That’s where things clicked. Belichick’s Patriots ran on clear expectations, demanding playbooks, intense accountability, and relentless coaching. It was a culture that cultivated A Players and gave high-upside talent the chance to grow. Brady thrived in that environment. He waited. He studied. He learned. He grew.

Then came the moment: Drew Bledsoe gets hurt early in the 2001 season, and Brady steps in. He’s ready. The preparation pays off, the coaching kicks in, and Brady leads the Patriots to a Super Bowl win. That’s the A Potential bet paying off—right before your eyes.

What makes Brady’s story so relevant isn’t just the championships. It’s how it mirrors the journey of any true A Potential: proven performer, new stage, strong systems, and an inflection point that reveals their greatness. Belichick didn’t rescue a retread—he developed a strategically selected A Potential into an A Player. And then into The GOAT.

There Is No Path from B Player to A Potential—But There Is a Path to A Player

For the record: there is no path from B Player to A Potential. These are fundamentally different profiles, with different implications for leadership and action.

An A Potential is like a high-ceiling rookie—new to the game at this level, but already proven at the junior ranks or in another arena. They’ve shown A-level performance in prior roles and are stepping onto a bigger stage. They’re in the early innings, but you’d bet on them to win.

A B Player, on the other hand, isn’t new—they’ve had their chance to show up. You hired them with the intent of bringing in an A Player, but they haven’t delivered at that promised level yet. That’s a mishire, not a reclassification. And there’s no rookie reset.

The only path for a B Player is to break out—to step up and become a full A Player. That journey usually requires a hard pivot in mindset, skillset, or both. With the right coaching, accountability, and urgency, it can absolutely happen. But let’s be clear: this is not a forecast of potential—it’s a performance gap that must close fast.

That’s why at A Player Advantage, we coach leadership teams to make that call decisively. B Players must either rise to the A standard or make room for someone who will. That’s how you protect your culture and scale with purpose.

The Acid Test: Would You Bet Your Ass?

If you wouldn’t bet your career that this person will make it based on what you’ve seen—right now—they’re not A Potential. They’re a B or a C, and that call and grade change must be made immediately. This is your A Potential acid test:

This “bet your ass” test removes the wishful thinking and gets you back to high-performance decision-making on the talent you need to win.

Mislabeling Risks: How Businesses Sabotage Their Teams with Grade Inflation

The most damaging misuse of A Potential happens when leaders assign the label to repositioned or acquired B Players under the guise of development. This isn’t a growth strategy—it’s a delay tactic that masks weak performance and clouds decision-making.

These are the classic traps:

• “They’ve been loyal—maybe a new role will energize them.”
• “They came with the acquisition—we owe them a runway.”
• “They know our systems—they just need time to break out.”

None of these excuses passes the Scaling Up standard. They violate People discipline and stall your company’s Execution. Hope is not a developmental strategy.

The Importance of Updating Your Talent Forecast

Imagine you acquire a new division. The six incoming executives go through the Topgrading process, but in the haste of integration, the evaluations lack the critical rigor required to separate true A Players from hopeful projections. (The issue isn’t the tool—Topgrading is highly accurate when used properly.) As a result, all six are labeled A Potentials—a decision rooted more in passive optimism than evidence. Sloppy? Absolutely. But it happens far too often when teams prioritize speed over truth.

Three months in, the signs are unmistakable. Your playbooks are being bypassed, key initiatives are stalled, and performance gaps are widening. When you pressure test whether this is a process or people issue, it becomes painfully clear: you’re dealing with B Players.

At this point, it’s mission-critical to update your A Player Talent Analyzer™ to reflect reality—not hope. This is where your Talent Coach—our strategic upgrade to the outdated HR model—must lead with clarity and conviction. Their job isn’t to protect inflated talent scores; it’s to protect performance. That means declaring the current state, intensifying coaching, and triggering back-up recruiting if needed.

The end goal remains unchanged: a team of 100% A Players. Achieving that requires the courage to correct earlier calls, even when it temporarily lowers your talent percentage. That’s what great leaders—and great organizations—do. They trade false comfort for real clarity.

A Potential Is a Hiring Designation, Not a Holding Tank

Here’s the core truth: A Potential is not a probationary term for underperformers. It’s an elite designation used only when hiring someone new to the role or industry, who clearly has the horsepower, mindset, and values alignment to become an A Player fast.

If someone doesn’t pass this bar, stop the charade. No more “maybe next quarter.” Declare the truth and act with courage.

What to Do If You Got It Wrong

Mislabeling happens. The issue isn’t the mistake itself—it’s the delay in correcting it. If someone was given the A Potential badge and isn’t performing at a 30-day growth cadence, here’s your playbook:

1. 1. Immediately remove the A Potential label.
   2. Declare reality: They are a B or C.
   3. Start coaching with urgency or plan an exit.
   4. Replace with a true A Player or A Potential from recruiting.

The worst move is to shield them with a faux A Potential designation, eroding performance and confusing your standards.

A Player Advantage: Your Guide to Building A Potentials into A Players

At A Player Advantage, we are the world’s foremost experts in identifying, coaching, and scaling A Players—and we define what it means to be an A Potential. Our systems and playbooks don’t just support this strategy—they set the standard. In the A Player Performance System (APPS), we’ve built the frameworks to transform true A Potentials into full-fledged A Players quickly, predictably, and at scale.

We help our clients:

• Coach up their teams to be 100% A Players.
• Establish talent pipelines built for strategic scaling.
• Implement the APPS framework to drive cultural transformation.
• Avoid the trap of false positives and misplaced hope.

In Scaling Up terms, we align People with your Strategy, ensure it’s Executed through disciplined rhythms, and create the Cash engine fueled by elite talent.

Final Word: The Truth Will Set You Scaling

You do not build a high-growth business on hopeful labels, internal loyalty plays, or tenure-based entitlements. You build it on truth.

The truth is this:

• Hiring A Potentials is a strategy, not a rehab plan.
• An A Potential was already winning somewhere else.
• You must measure, coach, and develop A Potentials with the intent of turning them into fully fledged A Players.

When you get it right, A Potentials become your next generation of game-changers. When you get it wrong, you dilute performance, confuse culture, and block the very scaling you’re working toward.

Make the tough call. Use the right definition. Build the right team.

If you’re ready to install the systems to attract, retain, and coach elite A Potentials and A Players—we’re ready to help.

Rick Crossland is an internationally known expert and thought leader on A Player talent. A leading certified Scaling Up coach and the author of the acclaimed business book The A Player, Rick’s innovative approach to recruiting, interviewing, validating, and developing high performers—A Players—has been featured in leading business publications such as Inc.com, Entrepreneur.com, Fortune.com, Recruiter.com, Columbus CEO, and Leadership Insights. With clients around the world, his expertise helps businesses scale by building high-performance teams that drive superior results. Follow Rick on LinkedIn and X (Formerly Twitter).