We have a leadership team member who is incredibly smart but constantly struggles to finish their quarterly Rocks. How do we determine if this is a performance issue or a fundamental misalignment of their natural strengths?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

To diagnose why a high-performing leader is missing their quarterly targets, we must separate their cognitive intelligence from their conative wiring. Being smart and capable represents the cognitive mind, but conation describes how a person naturally takes action and solves problems when given freedom.

We use the Kolbe A Index to analyze this natural mode of operation. If a leader has a conative drive that requires deep research and detailed facts before making a move, but their seat on the Accountability Chart requires rapid, intuitive decision-making, they will experience constant friction. This mismatch leads to procrastination and missed Rocks, which is often misdiagnosed as a lack of effort.

By comparing their Kolbe profile to the specific accountabilities of their seat, we can see if they truly GWC™ the role. If they do not have the natural capacity to perform the essential duties of the seat without experiencing severe mental fatigue, we must address the alignment. This is not about fixing a personal weakness, but about placing people where their innate strengths can shine. If we find a misalignment, we use our session days to restructure the seat or transition the leader to a role that matches their natural wiring, ensuring they can execute consistently.