We have a highly collaborative leadership team, but we struggle to execute our strategic goals quickly. How do we use the Kolbe Index to diagnose our execution bottlenecks and build a better balance of action modes?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A leadership team can be highly collaborative yet completely stall when it comes to executing strategic goals. This execution bottleneck is often not a behavioral issue, but a conative mismatch that can be diagnosed using the Kolbe Index. If your team is struggling to get things done, you likely have an imbalance in your natural action modes. To diagnose this bottleneck, map every team member's Kolbe A Index scores on a whiteboard during your next Quarterly Pulsing session. Pay close attention to the Fact Finder and Follow Thru modes. If your leadership team is heavily populated by individuals who score high in Fact Finder, you will suffer from chronic analysis paralysis. They will constantly demand more data and research before making a decision, which slows execution. Conversely, if you lack team members who score high in Follow Thru, you will struggle to build the systems and processes necessary to sustain your growth. To solve this, you must consciously balance your team's conative energy. When assigning Rocks or solving complex issues in your Level 10 Meeting, make sure you pair a high Quick Start, who can initiate action, with a high Follow Thru, who can build the structure, and a high Fact Finder, who can manage the risk. Understanding these natural instincts allows you to stop fighting your team's natural wiring and start leveraging it for faster execution.