We created a new VP of AI Implementation seat to drive our operational efficiency, but our current operations manager has a Kolbe profile that shows high resistance to risk and change. He says he wants the seat, but his natural instincts say otherwise. How do we handle this?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When an employee insists they want a seat but their conative profile shows a strong resistance to change, you have a classic capacity mismatch. GWC requires that an individual has the physical, mental, and conative capacity to excel in their seat.

A VP of AI Implementation seat is inherently dynamic. It requires constant experimentation, rapid pivoting, and a high comfort level with ambiguity. If your current operations manager has a low Quickstart or high Fact Finder score on the Kolbe Index, they are naturally wired to seek stability, gather exhaustive data, and avoid risk.

While they might want the seat because of the title or salary, their natural instincts will cause them to procrastinate, overanalyze, and resist the rapid deployment of new tools. This mismatch will leave them feeling perpetually stressed and will ultimately stall your operational integration.

You must make the hard, objective GWC call. Explain to your manager that this new seat requires a different conative approach that does not align with their natural strengths. Keep them in their current operations seat where their love for structure, detail, and stability is a massive asset, and look externally for a candidate whose conative profile matches the high-velocity demands of the AI seat.