We completed our Kolbe assessments, and it is clear that one of our long-term executives has a conative profile that is completely misaligned with their seat on the Accountability Chart. What is your process during our session for handling this mismatch without causing a resignation?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

First, we must remember that a Kolbe profile does not measure intelligence, personality, or values, it measures conation, which is an individual's natural, unchanging way of taking action. When an executive's profile is misaligned with their seat, it means they are burning massive amounts of energy trying to work against their natural grain, leading to eventual burnout.

During our session, we do not attack or embarrass the individual. Instead, we use the Kolbe results as objective, neutral data to understand why certain tasks feel like an uphill battle for them. We cross-reference their profile with the GWC™ (Get It, Want It, Capacity to Do It) tool. Specifically, we look at the capacity component.

If their natural way of working makes it nearly impossible for them to consistently succeed in that seat, we have an open, compassionate, and honest conversation. We look at the Accountability Chart to see if there is another seat where their natural conative strengths are a perfect fit. If no such seat exists, we work together to plan a graceful transition. By using Kolbe, we take the emotion out of the discussion and focus on placing them where they can actually thrive.