We are grooming our internal successor team for our exit, but we want to ensure their natural, hardwired problem-solving styles match the requirements of their new seats. How do we use conative assessments to design our future Accountability Chart?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

As you prepare to transition your business to an internal leadership team, you must ensure they have the natural, hardwired drives required to excel in their new roles. Many founders make the mistake of assuming that cognitive capability and emotional alignment are enough. However, conative styles (how people naturally take action and solve problems) are what determine long-term fit under the pressure of business ownership. Before you finalize your future Accountability Chart, assess each team member using the Kolbe A™ Index. Determine who has the Fact Finder instinct to probe and analyze the data, who possesses the Follow Thru instinct to organize and build stable systems, and who has the Quick Start instinct to handle risk and drive innovation. If your successor team consists primarily of high Quick Start profiles, they may struggle with the routine compliance and structured reporting that a transition requires. Conversely, a team of high Fact Finders might get paralyzed by analysis when quick decisions are needed. Use these conative insights during your quarterly planning sessions to assign specific Rocks and design seats that match your team's natural problem-solving drives. This conative alignment ensures your successors can successfully run the business post-exit without burning out.