If there’s one model, I share with business leaders that always sticks, it’s this one. No matter how much time has elapsed before we meet again, they always refer back to it—because its memorable, instant and transforms how they see their team.

Created in 1968 by Bruce D. Henderson, founder of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the Growth-Share Matrix was designed to help Fortune 500 companies assess their business units.

But over time, I’ve found it to be just as powerful for evaluating teams—assisting leaders to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for strategic decision-making.

Every leader needs the right mix of talent to drive business growth, and this model provides clarity on how each team member contributes—or holds things back.

The Four Types of Performers in Your Team
1. The Star – High Performer with Tremendous Potential
Characteristics:
⭐ Hardworking, enthusiastic, and full of ideas.
⭐ Takes initiative, always finding ways to add value.
⭐ A role model you wish others would emulate.

Example:
A business owner once told me about a staff member:
“From the moment she arrives, she’s working. She doesn’t wait to be told—she finds something productive to do. I wish the rest of my team had her mindset.”

✅ How to support them:

  • Find out what motivates them—money might not always be the answer.
  • Provide growth opportunities to keep them engaged.
  • Recognise their contributions and ensure they feel valued.

2. The Cash Cow – Reliable and Consistent Performer
Characteristics:
💰 Steady, dependable, and always delivers.
💰 May not bring fireworks, but they keep things running smoothly.
💰 The backbone of your operations.

Example:
In business strategy, “milking the cash cow” means leveraging steady revenue streams. In teams, it’s about ensuring these consistent performers feel appreciated rather than taken for granted.

✅ How to support them:

  • Celebrate their consistency publicly and privately.
  • Understand their “love language”—do they appreciate verbal recognition, bonuses, or flexibility?
  • Keep them engaged by aligning their work with business goals.

3. The Question Mark – Inconsistent Performer
Characteristics:
❓ Shows potential but fluctuates in performance.
❓ Past efforts to improve haven’t worked.
❓ May be losing motivation or struggling with role fit.

Example:

  • A former high performer starts missing deadlines or disengaging. They’ve had coaching, retraining, and warnings—but the pattern continues.

✅ How to address it:

  • 1:1 conversation are key. Schedule a private coffee chat to uncover the root issue.
  • Be honest let them know you’ve noticed the change.
  • Set clear performance expectations and a deadline for improvement.
  • If nothing changes, you must decide whether to invest further or let go.

4. The Dead Dog – The Lowest Performer
Characteristics:
🐶 Consistently underperforms.
🐶 Negatively impacts the team culture.
🐶 Likely not suited for the role or resisting change.

They may have been a Star once, but their productivity and contribution have declined over time. Keeping them too long weakens your leadership credibility, whether due to changing market conditions, evolving business needs, or disengagement.

✅ How to handle this:

  • Tough decisions are necessary. If coaching and support haven’t worked, it may be time to transition them out of the business.
  • A poor performer affects everyone, lowering team morale, creating inefficiencies, and making leadership look weak.
  • It’s hard, but the longer they stay, the worse it gets—for them, you, and the team.

But – beyond your team – Where Do YOU Fit?

While this model is powerful for evaluating your team, I constantly challenge leaders with one final question:

💡 Where do YOU fit in this matrix? There’s often a little shuffling in the chair or slience on the call as it hard to admit the kind of leader that you are

  • Are you waking up excited or dreading the day?
  • Are you fighting fires constantly or leading strategically?
  • Is your team pushing your business forward, or are you holding on to dead weight?

If you’re a Star or a Cash Cow— that mean you are constantly pushing the boundary and growing.

If you’re feeling like a Question Mark or a Dead Dog, its time to review how you think about your business.

✅ Apply this framework to your team today. Sit down and categorise each team member—who’s a Star, a Cash Cow, a Question Mark, or a Dead Dog?

✅ Book a strategy session with me to walk through this process in real-time—so you can make confident leadership decisions.