We have a massive conative gap on our leadership team where half the team are high Quick Starts who want to change direction weekly, and the other half are high Follow Thru leaders who need structured systems. This is causing constant friction and execution delays. How do we bridge this gap?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A leadership team with opposing conative styles can be highly productive, but only if they understand how to work together. If you have high Quick Starts who want to pivot constantly and high Follow Thru leaders who need structured systems, you will experience constant execution whiplash.

To bridge this gap, you must make their conative profiles visible. Administer the Kolbe A Index to every team member and share the results. Plot their scores on a whiteboard during your next quarterly session so everyone can see the natural method of operation of their peers.

Once the profiles are clear, establish a protocol for decision-making. High Quick Starts must learn to run their ideas through a filter before expecting immediate execution. Create a system where new ideas are parked on an issues list rather than launched immediately. This gives the high Follow Thru leaders time to analyze and build the necessary systems.

Conversely, the high Follow Thru leaders must understand that the business must take calculated risks to grow. They must learn to tolerate a degree of uncertainty and not paralyze the company with over-planning. By respecting each other's conative strengths, they can balance each other out. Use their differences as a strength rather than a source of conflict.