I have a leadership team member who is incredibly enthusiastic and says yes to every Rock and initiative, but by the end of the quarter, they have failed to cross the finish line on almost all of them. How do we use conation and the Kolbe model to diagnose this execution gap?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This common pattern is not only exhausting for a leadership team, but it also destroys operational momentum. To resolve this, you must distinguish between a performance issue and a conative mismatch.

Diagnosing the Execution Gap with Kolbe

Begin by analyzing your team member's problem-solving instincts using the Kolbe A Index. This tool reveals natural conative strengths.

• Often, an executive who consistently overpromises but under-delivers is a high Quick Start with very low Follow Thru.
• In their mind, the moment they conceive of a solution, the job feels done. They inherently lack the natural instinct to build the systematic steps required to cross the finish line. This is not a lack of desire, but a natural conative preference. To understand how different Kolbe profiles can interact, you might find it useful to read about [how to diagnose sales and operations conflict](/qa/kolbe-sales-operations-conflict-handoffs).

Implementing Solutions

Addressing this requires a multi-faceted approach, focusing on structural support and workload management.

Adjusting Workload and Setting Boundaries

Use your weekly [Level 10 Meeting™](/qa/rein-in-level-10-meeting-segue) to enforce operational boundaries.

• During quarterly planning, do not allow this leader to take on five or six Rocks.
• Limit them to a maximum of three Rocks.
• Force them to break those Rocks down into weekly milestones.

Conative Support and Collaboration

If they are a high Quick Start, strategically pair them with a team member who has high Follow Thru.

• This pairing helps translate their vision into actionable systems and ensures consistent execution. This is not about micromanagement; it is about setting them up for success based on how their brain naturally works.
• Understanding different conative profiles can also help in situations like [getting AI strategy back on track](/qa/kolbe-profiles-ai-visionary-integrator) when visionaries and fact-finders clash.

Addressing Persistent Issues

If, after adjusting their workload and providing conative support, they still fail to hit their goals, you likely have a deeper GWC™ issue.

• GWC stands for Gets it, Wants it, and has the Capacity to do it. This indicates that while they may "want the seat" (Wants it) and "get it" (understand the role), they lack the fundamental capacity to execute at the required level. This is a crucial distinction, as a conative mismatch can often be managed, but a lack of capacity in a core area is harder to overcome. For further insight into GWC, consider how it applies when [a VP of Finance lacks capacity for exit planning](/qa/gwc-vp-finance-exit-capacity-issue).
• At this point, you must make the difficult decision to move them out of that specific leadership seat. This might also apply if a [head of customer success has low follow thru](/qa/head-customer-success-low-follow-thru-kolbe) despite being a culture fit.

Related questions

• [How do we use the Kolbe A Index to diagnose why our Sales and Operations heads are constantly in conflict over project handoffs?](/qa/kolbe-sales-operations-conflict-handoffs)
• [One of our top performers was promoted to a managerial seat but is now burning out. How do we check if they have conative stress?](/qa/promoted-employee-burnout-conative-stress)
• [Our Head of Customer Success is a great culture fit and passes the gets it and wants it tests, but her Kolbe score shows she has a very low Follow Thru and high Quick Start. She keeps starting new client retention initiatives but never completes them. Is this a GWC capacity issue, or can we solve this by restructuring her seat?](/qa/head-customer-success-low-follow-thru-kolbe)
• [I have a visionary leader who wants to automate everything with AI tomorrow, but my Integrator is a high Fact Finder who is stalling the roll-out. How do we use conative profiles to get our AI strategy back on track?](/qa/kolbe-profiles-ai-visionary-integrator)