Our Head of Operations gets, wants, and has the capacity for her seat, but she is constantly exhausted and stressed. How do we use conative profiles like the Kolbe Index to determine if her seat roles are causing severe conative strain?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a leader GWCs their seat but is still burning out, you are likely dealing with conative stress. This happens when the natural, instinctive way a person takes action is completely misaligned with the daily requirements of their seat.

To diagnose this, run a Kolbe A Index assessment on your Head of Operations. This tool measures her instinctive method of operation across four conative modes: Fact Finder, Follow Through, Quick Start, and Implementor.

Compare her natural profile with the specific roles of her seat. For example, if she has a low Follow Through score, she naturally thrives in fluid, changing environments and resists rigid structure. If her operations seat requires her to spend eighty percent of her time designing, building, and maintaining highly detailed procedural systems, she is fighting her natural wiring every day. This constant struggle causes severe conative strain, leading to exhaustion despite her high capability and passion.

To fix this, you do not need to replace her. Instead, use your Accountability Chart to adjust the structure. You can delegate the system-building and record-keeping roles to a supporting seat, such as an operations coordinator who has a high Follow Through score. This allows your Head of Operations to focus on what she naturally does best, eliminating the conative strain and protecting her sanity.