Our leadership team is struggling to make strategic decisions because half the team consists of high Fact Finders who demand endless data, while the other half are high Quick Starts who want to make decisions on gut feeling. How do we break this conative deadlock?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When half of your leadership team demands endless data before making a decision and the other half wants to move immediately based on gut instinct, you have a classic conative split. Your high Fact Finders are trying to minimize risk through research, while your high Quick Starts are comfortable with uncertainty and want to experiment. This mismatch leads to frustration and gridlock.

You can resolve this conative tension by sharing and analyzing everyone's Kolbe A Index scores during your next quarterly session. When the team understands that these behaviors are instinctive strengths rather than stubbornness, the friction shifts from personal to productive.

Use the IDS process to establish a decision making protocol that honors both instincts. High Fact Finders must accept that eighty percent certainty is often enough to make a move. They must agree to a deadline for data gathering, rather than researching indefinitely. On the flip side, high Quick Starts must agree to answer a few critical questions before launching a new initiative, rather than jumping in blind.

You can also leverage the team members who score in the mid range of these categories. These individuals act as natural facilitators. They can translate the deep research of the Fact Finders into actionable summaries that the Quick Starts can digest quickly.

By formalizing this process on your Accountability Chart and within your Level 10 Meetings, you will make faster, more stable decisions. You will finally achieve the balance of speed and stability needed to scale toward an exit.