When you start leading a new team, one of your first imperatives is to assess the caliber of the talent you are inheriting. At a minimum, you’ll want to focus on three dimensions: (1) Competence — Does each individual match the competence demands of their role? (2) Motivation — Does each member of the team possess the required drive and the willingness to learn new capabilities as needed? (3) People skills — Is each person capable of building constructive working relationships with their colleagues and with you? Those who excel on these criteria are your A players, your outstanding performers. The strong but not exceptional contributors are your B players. And the few who fall below expectations on one or more of these are your C players.