Our new Operations Manager has great core values and wants the seat, but our Kolbe assessments show he is a low Follow Through and low Fact Finder. Can we modify the roles of this operations seat to accommodate his conative profile, or is he simply in the wrong seat?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

An operations seat typically requires a high degree of order, systemization, and process management. According to Kolbe research, these tasks require a high Follow Through and a high Fact Finder conative profile. If your Operations Manager scores low in these areas, he is naturally wired to resist detailed documentation and structured systems.

You cannot change a person's innate conative strengths. Trying to force a low Follow Through personality to build and maintain rigid processes will cause severe conative stress and eventual burnout.

You should never modify the roles of a critical seat to fit the unique personality of the person sitting in it. The structure of your Accountability Chart must be designed to serve the business, not the individual. If an operations seat requires detailed systemization, the person in that seat must have the capacity to deliver it.

If this manager has great core values, he is the Right Person, but he is in the Wrong Seat. He does not have the capacity to perform the essential roles of an operations seat.

You must find a seat on the chart that aligns with his natural strengths, such as a high Quick Start sales or business development role. Then, hire an Operations Manager whose Kolbe profile matches the natural demands of the seat.