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Plain-English definitions

The people-decision glossary

The language of betting on the right people — defined without the jargon.

Commitment Quotient (CQ)

A behavioral signal that scores Initiative, Applied Grit, and Learnability under pressure to indicate who's ready for more scope — measured from behavior, not self-report.

Initiative

Acting without being told — spotting what needs doing and moving before being directed, especially when the situation is unclear.

Applied Grit

Follow-through under difficulty — staying with a commitment when it gets hard. Distinct from general "grit" as a personality trait; this is grit demonstrated in context.

Learnability

Adapting and improving from feedback and new demands — the behavior that predicts who grows into a role rather than plateauing.

Capacity

Current ability to take on scope — time, energy, and behavioral readiness — right now. A dynamic state, not a fixed trait, which is why it's better observed than assumed.

GWC (Gets it, Wants it, Capacity)

The EOS test for whether a person fits a seat. Capacity is the vaguest of the three — the component Prove makes measurable. How Prove measures capacity →

Regretted attrition

Turnover among the people you wanted to keep. A far truer retention signal than headline turnover, which lumps in departures you didn't mind.

Quiet quitting

Doing the minimum and no more — disengagement that looks like retention on a headcount report but withholds discretionary effort. Spot quiet quitting early →

Span of control

How many direct reports a manager oversees. Stretch it too wide and coaching, feedback, and engagement all degrade — a common scaling failure.

Quality of hire

How well a new hire performs and stays. Best assessed by behavior in the first 90 days, not by resume or interview impression. Prove a hire in 90 days →

The Peter Principle

The tendency to promote people to the level of their incompetence — rewarding past performance with a role that needs different behavior. Why good people fail after promotion →

Engagement paradox

The pattern of engagement scores falling while business performance holds — evidence that engagement and results were never the same thing. The engagement paradox, explained →

The 9 CQ sub-traits

The Commitment Quotient score rests on three measured dimensions. Each breaks down into three observable behaviors — the specific things Prove watches for in real work, rather than a personality label. See the first-principles science behind them →

Initiative
Do they act without being told?
Proactive Start
Starting on what needs doing before being asked or assigned — moving first instead of waiting for direction.
Follow-Through
Carrying work all the way to done, especially the unglamorous last mile — not just starting strong.
Resourcefulness
Finding a way around obstacles with the access and tools at hand, instead of stalling until someone clears the path.
Applied Grit
Do they hold when it gets hard?
Resilience
Recovering from setbacks and staying in the work after a failure, rather than deflating or checking out.
Ownership
Taking responsibility for outcomes — including the messy and shared ones — instead of reaching for blame.
Long-Game Drive
Sustaining effort toward a payoff that isn't immediate — staying motivated when the reward is still distant.
Learnability
Do they evolve over time?
Openness to Feedback
Taking correction without defensiveness and acting on it, rather than protecting ego or a track record.
Self-Awareness
An accurate read of one's own strengths and gaps — the starting point for any real improvement.
Growth Orientation
Actively seeking to get better without being pushed, treating skill as something built rather than fixed.
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