We want to aggressively integrate AI tools into our operations to boost our margins before an exit, but our current IT Director is highly resistant to new technology platforms and insists on custom, slow-built legacy systems. How do we evaluate this bottleneck on our Accountability Chart using Kolbe's Striving Instincts to see if they can ever truly own our AI transition?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

To determine if your IT Director can own your AI transition, you must look beyond their technical knowledge and assess their conative instincts using the Kolbe Index. This tool measures how they naturally take action when solving problems.

An IT Director who insists on slow-built legacy systems and resists rapid software integration likely has a high Fact Finder score combined with a high Follow Thru score. Their natural instinct is to research deeply, build highly structured, customized systems, and avoid any risk of system failure.

While this is excellent for maintaining server uptime and data security, it is highly resistant to the fast-paced, experimental nature of deploying modern AI tools. AI implementation requires a high Quick Start instinct, which thrives on testing unproven tools, iterating quickly, and pivoting when a system fails.

If your IT Director's Kolbe profile shows a strong resistance to Quick Start activities, they do not GWC the seat of AI transition. They cannot want or have the capacity for a role that forces them to act against their natural striving instincts daily.

Do not force them into a seat where they will suffer conative stress and slow down your transition. Instead, keep them in a seat focused on core infrastructure and data security, where their strengths are vital. Then, create a separate AI Implementation seat on your Accountability Chart, filled by someone with the high Quick Start drive needed to rapidly deploy these margin-boosting tools.