Our leadership team took the Kolbe A Index and we realized we have a massive mismatch between our natural problem-solving instincts and our current daily job requirements. How do we address this conative stress before it breaks the team?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Conative stress occurs when there is a severe mismatch between an instinctive approach to taking action, measured by the Kolbe A Index, and the self-imposed expectations of a current seat. Over time, forcing a leader to work against their natural conative strengths will lead to burnout, cognitive exhaustion, and team conflict. To resolve this conative stress, you must run a thorough comparison of each leader's Kolbe A results against their actual responsibilities on the Accountability Chart.

- Map out your team's action modes, looking specifically at Fact Finder, Follow Thru, Quick Start, and Implementor. If you have a leader with a low Follow Thru score who is currently tasked with building complex, systematic processes, they are experiencing extreme conative strain. You must restructure their seat or delegate the detail-heavy tasks to someone whose natural instinct is to build systems.

- Evaluate supervisor-to-employee relationships by comparing Kolbe profiles. If an Integrator with a high Fact Finder score manages a director with a high Quick Start score, they will naturally clash over the amount of information needed before taking action. Recognize this as a difference in conative wiring, not a lack of respect.

By aligning your seats with natural conative strengths, you reduce internal friction and build a highly productive, sustainable leadership team.