The Anti-Framework: Burn the 9 Box (and the Annual Review with It)

From Star Player to People Leader: What Could Go Wrong?

In this lively discussion, HR Misfits Ami Graves, Marci Coppola, and LaToya Davis share candid stories and insights about the challenges of managing and developing effective leaders. We have seen some things. And today we're pulling back the curtain on one of the most common and most costly mistakes organizations make: taking your best individual contributor and handing them a team without a map, a plan, or a clue. We're talking about the real cost of poor leadership development, what HR can actually do about it, and why "they were great at their job" is not a leadership strategy. This one gets real. Let's get into it.

Reimagining HR: The Case for Licensure and Accountability

In this engaging episode, the HR Misfits and a special guest explore the credibility crisis in HR, the controversial idea of licensing the profession, and the innovative HR Accountability Project aimed at elevating standards and trust in HR.

The AI Throwdown: Heart vs. Algorithm

Three HR leaders. Three takes on AI. Zero agreement at the start. In this episode of The HR Misfits, Ami, LaToya, and Marci go all in on the conversation every HR team is having right now - but probably not like this. LaToya's ready to embrace it, Marci's side-eyeing it, and Ami's somewhere in the middle trying not to pick a fight. What starts as a debate, lands somewhere way more honest: AI isn't the enemy, but it's not the savior either. And the human stuff? That part's not optional.

Pandemic to Present: How Work Changed and Why We’re Still Arguing About It

The pandemic didn’t just change where we work, it exposed everything broken about how we work. In this episode of HR Misfits, we dig into the reality of remote and hybrid work beyond the headlines, policies, and performative debates. Because here’s the truth: Not everyone works best the same way. And trying to force a single model? That’s where companies are getting it wrong. We talk about: Why the “return to office vs. remote” debate is missing the point How different roles, personalities, and life realities shape how people perform best The gap between leadership expectations and employee experience Why flexibility still isn’t being applied fairly What actually drives productivity (hint: it’s not location) This isn’t about picking sides. It’s about rethinking work entirely. If you’re a leader still trying to figure out what actually works or an employee feeling stuck in a model that doesn’t - this conversation is for you. Timestamps 00:00 Intro – Building a High-Performing Agency 00:48 The Secret Behind 80%+ Staff Retention 02:30 Why Culture Must Start From Day One 03:30 Becoming an Employee-Owned Company 04:30 Why Most Company Values Are Useless 06:00 The 3 Values That Actually Work 08:30 Turning Values Into Real Behaviors 11:30 Performance Improvement Without Fear 13:00 How Junior Employees Bring Big Clients 14:30 Making Everyone Think Like an Owner 15:50 What Actually Changed After Employee Ownership 17:00 Employees Sitting in Board Meetings 19:30 Breaking the “Us vs Them” Culture 21:00 Salary, Bonuses & Fairness Explained 23:10 Preventing Employee Frustration Early 24:00 Why Team Trips Boost Performance 27:30 The “Olympics” Idea: Fitness + Charity + Fun 30:10 The Future Vision of the Company 32:30 Final Thoughts – Culture Drives Everything

The Anti-Framework: Burn the 9 Box (and the Annual Review with It)

What if some of HR’s most “trusted” tools are actually holding your business back? In this episode of HR Misfits, we take on two of the most sacred (and untouchable) frameworks in HR: the 9-box and the annual performance review… and make the case for why it might be time to let them go. These tools were designed to bring structure, clarity, and fairness. But in reality? They often introduce bias, slow down decision-making, and create more performative process than meaningful impact. We get into: Why the 9-box oversimplifies people and amplifies bias How annual reviews fail both employees and leaders The hidden cost of “checking the box” HR practices What high-performing organizations are doing instead Practical ways to move beyond outdated frameworks (without creating chaos) This isn’t about being anti-structure. It’s about being anti-lazy structure. If you’ve ever sat in a talent review meeting thinking, “Are we really making better decisions because of this?” - this episode is for you. Welcome to HR, rethought. Episode Timestamps: 00:00 – Why Managers Ignore High Performers Managers over-focus on low performers and neglect top talent 00:45 – Podcast Intro: HR Misfits & Anti-Framework Thinking What this show is about and today’s topic setup 02:10 – Are We Really Anti-Framework? Challenging blind use of outdated frameworks 03:30 – The Nine-Box Framework Explained (Origin & Purpose) History (GE, 1970) and how it works 06:00 – Problems with the Nine-Box Model Overcomplication, forced categorization, and lack of clarity 09:00 – Bias in Talent Evaluation How subjectivity and unconscious bias shape outcomes 12:30 – Does the Nine-Box Actually Help Employees? Lack of actionable outcomes and employee confusion 16:00 – High Performers vs Low Performers: Misplaced Focus Why companies lose top talent 19:00 – The “Steady Performer” Problem Ignored middle performers and retention risks 22:00 – Evolution: From 9-Box to 4-Box Models Attempts to simplify performance frameworks 24:30 – Annual Performance Reviews Are Broken Infrequent feedback and employee frustration 28:00 – Forced Rankings & Compensation Issues How ratings tie into pay and create unhealthy systems 32:00 – Gaming the System & Leadership Gaps Managers manipulating ratings and lack of leadership skills 36:00 – Transparency Problem: Employees Don’t Understand Business Health Why workers feel disconnected from company performance 40:00 – Corporate Communication Failures (Acronyms & Confusion) Why “transparency” often doesn’t work 44:00 – The Need for Business Education in HR & Teams Importance of financial and business acumen 48:00 – Real Fix: Better Leadership, Not More Frameworks Root cause behind broken systems 52:00 – Rethinking Performance Systems (Simpler Models) Idea of reducing ratings and moving to continuous feedback 55:30 – Anti-Framework Philosophy Explained Questioning outdated systems, not eliminating structure 58:00 – Introducing the HR Misfits Framework Deconstruct → Diffuse → Design approach 01:01:00 – Final Thoughts: Evolving HR & Leadership Systems Why change is necessary and how to move forward