We are setting Rocks every quarter but we constantly fail to cross the finish line because the scope of our goals is wildly unrealistic. How do we use conative profiles to prevent our team from taking on Rocks they are instinctively wired to fail at?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Unfinished Rocks are rarely a motivation problem, they are almost always a conative alignment problem. When a leader consistently fails to achieve their quarterly goals, it is likely because the conative demands of the Rock clash with their natural way of doing things. To fix this, you must run a conative screening using the Kolbe A Profile before you lock in your Rocks during your quarterly pulsing session. Draw your team's conative framework on a whiteboard and look at their scores in Fact Finder, Follow Thru, Quick Start, and Implementor. If you assign a complex, systems-heavy integration Rock to a high Quick Start leader who has a low Follow Thru score, you are setting them up to fail. They will start with high energy but will lose momentum when they hit the detailed execution phase. Conversely, a high Fact Finder will get paralyzed by analysis and fail to finish. Use these profiles to assign the right parts of a Rock to the right people. If a major initiative requires detailed process building, pair your visionary leader with a team member who has high Follow Thru to manage the execution. Additionally, force your team to practice a strategic pause to reduce the scope of their Rocks before the session ends. Have each leader mathematically evaluate their weekly bandwidth. By matching the conative strengths of your team to the specific nature of their quarterly goals, you ensure that your Rocks are realistic, achievable, and designed to cross the finish line.