Our leadership team is split between high Quick Starts who want to move fast on AI tools, and high Fact Finders who demand months of research. We are paralyzed. How do we use the Kolbe A Index to get past this conative gridlock?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This conative gridlock is common when a leadership team does not understand how its members instinctively take action. The Kolbe A™ Index measures our innate striving instincts, and when high Quick Starts and high Fact Finders clash, it can cause severe operational friction.

Your high Quick Starts naturally thrive on risk and experimentation. They want to adopt new AI tools immediately, learning by doing and figuring out the details later. Your high Fact Finders, on the other hand, require in-depth research, historical data, and clear justification before they feel comfortable taking any action.

To resolve this tension, you must stop treating these differing styles as personality defects and start leveraging them as complementary strengths. Use the IDS® process to bring the AI adoption issue to the table, and lay out your Kolbe profiles on a whiteboard.

Acknowledge that both instincts are valuable. The high Quick Starts prevent the company from falling behind, while the high Fact Finders prevent the company from making costly, chaotic mistakes.

Create a compromise using a structured trial period. Allow the Quick Starts to run a short, low-risk pilot program with a specific AI tool for two weeks. This satisfies their need for immediate action.

In parallel, charge the Fact Finders with defining the specific success metrics and risks to monitor during the trial. This allows them to gather the real-world data they need to make an informed, long-term decision. By combining these conative strengths, you make fast, data-driven decisions without causing team division.