Our Project Management seat requires meticulous tracking and systemization, but the person currently in it is a high Quick Start who loves launching projects but hates finishing them. How do we resolve this conative misalignment?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a classic case of conative misalignment. A project management seat requires a high Follow Thru score on the Kolbe assessment, meaning the person naturally seeks to build systems, maintain order, and bring projects to completion. If you have a high Quick Start in this seat, they are wired to initiate, take risks, and improvise. While their energy is great for launching new ideas, they will quickly become frustrated and exhausted by the daily grind of detailed tracking and system compliance. This mismatch leads to conative stress and dropped balls. You must address this using the GWC™ framework. While this person might get the role conceptually and want to do a good job, they simply do not have the natural capacity to sustain the required behaviors over the long term. You cannot change a person's conative wiring. Your best move is to transition this individual into a seat that rewards their natural Quick Start strengths, such as sales, marketing, or business development. Then, redesign the project management seat and recruit someone who has a natural drive for Follow Thru. Trying to force a high Quick Start to become a methodical system manager is a recipe for burnout and operational failure for your entire team.