Every organizational leader wants winners; that’s a given. While the term “losers” seems harsh and inhuman, every organization has them. Dr. Rhys Thomas of Innovatia called this inevitability of a growing organization deadwood that needs to be trimmed from time to time.

My hangup with the terms “winners” and “losers” is that they are so binary, as in this or that. The reality is that between winners and losers, we have three other types of employees that can be categorized accordingly.

The consultant’s consultant had his three names for people: Dynamos, Cruisers & Losers. I like the first two words, but we need a replacement for losers because I’m looking for traits somewhere between winners and losers, and I think I’ve found the perfect three.

This is more than a discussion about labeling team members. It’s creating a plan of action on what to do next once we’ve identified how these people are either bringing positive results or contributing to performance deficits.