The Five Domains, and Why They Matter

Before sorting anything, it helps to know the categories the 28 practices sit in and why team performance research treats them as distinct. Every practice below belongs to one of these five domains, shown here with the practices grouped underneath each one.

This sort forces the same kind of choice the individual competency sorts do: only a limited number of practices can be Critical, which means the team has to decide what actually matters most for the objective in section 2, not treat all 28 as equally important. That's what turns a practice library into a real priority, and it's why the framing question comes before the sort rather than after it.

How This Works

This sort uses the same forced-ranking method as the individual competency sort: every practice gets placed, but only a limited number can go in each stack.

1. Set the objective

Name the strategic objective and time horizon, and choose what this sort is about: future importance, current practice, or improvement leverage.

2. Sort the practices

Place all 28 practices into three stacks, in limited numbers.

3. Rate current strength

For a future-importance sort, assess the practices that landed in the top two stacks. Current-practice and improvement-leverage sorts skip this, the sort placement is the read.

4. Submit your view

Your view combines with your teammates' into one team report.

1. You and This Team

The team code groups everyone's individual sort into one team report. Use the exact code your facilitator gave you, everyone on the team should enter the same one.

Your name

Your email

Your role on this team

Team code

Team / function name

Organization

2. The Framing Question

Sort against a specific question, not against team performance in general. Some questions ask what will matter most going forward, others ask what's actually true today, and others ask where closing a gap would matter most. Every card should be weighed against what this team needs to accomplish in this window.

Sort against this question

Over the selected time horizon, which leadership practices matter most for this team to achieve: the strategic objective you enter below?

This sort is about

Strategic objective

Time horizon

What makes this consequential right now?

3. Sort: What This Objective Requires

Sort every practice by how much this objective demands it. The limits are deliberate. They force real tradeoffs. Each card shows the domain it belongs to.

Easiest way: use the buttons

Every card has three buttons at the bottom. Click a stack name to place it there. Click a different button any time to move it.

Or drag, if you prefer

You can also drag a card into a stack, drag it between stacks, or drag it back to the library to reconsider.

Why a limit? If every practice can be Critical, none of them really are. Rating each one on its own scale tends to cluster everyone near the top, since it's easy to justify why any given practice matters somewhat. A fixed number per stack forces the team to compare practices against each other, not just against an abstract standard, which is what turns this into a real priority list instead of one where everything scores a 4 out of 5.

Critical: 8 cards

Without these, this objective will stall. Non-negotiable.

Necessary: 10 cards

These matter and will need attention, but are not the first constraint.

Lesser Importance: 10 cards

Valuable for team health generally, but not what this objective is asking now.

Critical

0 / 8

Required for this objective.

Necessary

0 / 10

Matters, but not the first constraint.

Lesser Importance

0 / 10

Not what this objective is asking now.

Practice Library

Unsorted cards live here. Use Show Details to see what success requires, observable evidence, and what it looks like when the practice is weak or missing.

Complete the sort in section 4 first. The practices you placed in the top two stacks will appear here.

4. Rate: Current Team Practice Strength

Now assess how strong this team actually is, today, on the practices this objective requires most. Rate what you have observed, not what you hope is true.

Limited / Developing

Little evidence this practice is happening, or it's a known weak spot for this team.

Solid

Happens reliably in normal conditions, not yet tested under real pressure.

Strong

Consistently present. Others on the team would name this as a real strength.

0Practices rated

0Primary focus areas

0Strengths to leverage

5. Review and Submit

This is your individual view. The team report, showing where views converge and diverge, comes together once your teammates submit theirs too.

Objective Snapshot

Complete the framing question to see this summary.

Your Development Priorities

Complete the sort and the rating to see development priorities.

Where Your Sort Concentrates

Complete the sort to see which domains this objective leans on.

Complete the sort and rating, then submit.