We have a highly creative leadership team with high Quick Start scores on the Kolbe Index, and we are great at starting new initiatives but terrible at completing our quarterly Rocks. How do we use our collective conative profiles to build the discipline required to actually cross the finish line?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A leadership team dominated by high Quick Start scores on the Kolbe Index is fantastic for innovation and growth, but terrible for operational discipline. These teams excel at brainstorming and launching new ideas, but they quickly lose interest when it comes to the hard, repetitive work of executing those ideas. This results in a graveyard of half-completed quarterly Rocks.

To fix this, you must use your conative screening profiles to design your execution strategy. First, limit the number of Rocks you set. While a highly structured team might handle five Rocks per person, a high Quick Start team should restrict themselves to no more than one or two vital Rocks per quarter. Focus is your only defense against distraction.

Second, pair your high Quick Start team members with colleagues who score high in Follow Thru. These natural system builders can help break down complex, visionary Rocks into concrete, weekly milestones.

Third, leverage your weekly Level 10 Meeting™ to force the discipline. The Integrator must hold a hard line during the weekly Rock review. If a Rock is off track, it cannot be glossed over with a new, exciting idea. It must be dropped to the issues list and resolved immediately. By acknowledging your team conative wiring, you can put the necessary guardrails in place to protect yourselves from your own creative impulses.