My leadership team has high Quick Start scores on their Kolbe profiles, meaning we launch a dozen new tech initiatives every quarter but fail to complete any of them. How do we structure our team to actually finish our Rocks?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A leadership team loaded with high Quick Start energy is fantastic for innovation and starting new projects, but it is disastrous for operational execution. You live in a constant state of chaos, running from one bright shiny object to the next, while leaving a trail of half finished initiatives in your wake. To fix this, you must balance your team conative styles. Use the Kolbe A Index to audit your leadership team. If you have too many high Quick Starts, you lack the natural Follow Thru energy needed to build systems, document processes, and bring projects to the finish line. You do not need to fire your creative leaders, but you must put guardrails in place. First, limit the number of quarterly Rocks. A team with high Quick Start energy should have no more than three company Rocks per quarter. Any new idea that pops up during the quarter must be placed on the Long Term Issues List on your V/TO, where it will sit until the next quarterly planning session. Second, ensure your Integrator or operations leader has high Follow Thru strength. This person acts as the anchor, keeping the team focused on the agreed plan and stopping the introduction of unscheduled technology projects. By pairing your high Quick Starts with strong finishers, you can safely experiment without derailment.