We are hiring a new Chief Operating Officer who will likely become our Integrator, but we want to make sure they have the right conative makeup before we offer them the seat. How do we use the Kolbe Index to evaluate their problem-solving instincts?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Evaluating a candidate for a critical leadership role like Chief Operating Officer or Integrator requires looking beyond their resume and skills. You must understand their conative makeup, which is their natural, instinctive way of taking action and solving problems. This is where the Kolbe Index is invaluable. It measures the doing part of the mind, which remains constant over time and cannot be feigned.

To evaluate candidates effectively, you should first establish a Kolbe C Index for the seat. This tool defines the required conative behaviors of the role. For an Integrator seat, you typically need someone with a strong drive in Follow Thru to build systems and a solid capability in Fact Finder to analyze details.

Once you have the target profile, administer the Kolbe A Index to your top candidates. Compare their natural conative scores against the job requirements. If a candidate has a low Follow Thru score, they will instinctively struggle to document processes and maintain the operational discipline your business needs, regardless of how intelligent or experienced they are.

Matching the candidate's natural conative strengths with the demands of the seat prevents conative stress, which occurs when a person is forced to work against their natural grain for long periods. Using these objective assessments ensures you hire a leader who has the natural conative stamina to run your operations smoothly and excel in their seat.