How do we use Kolbe Index profiles during our quarterly planning sessions to prevent our visionary ideas from colliding with our team's execution styles?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Integrating conative screening tools like the Kolbe A Profile into your EOS® process is a game-changer for team dynamics. It helps you understand the innate, instinctual way each leadership team member takes action.

Before your next quarterly session, ensure every team member has completed their Kolbe assessment. During the session, draw the Kolbe framework on the whiteboard, detailing the four action modes: Fact Finder, Follow Thru, Quickstart, and Implementor.

A typical Visionary often has a high Quickstart score, meaning they thrive on change, risk, and new ideas. Your Integrator or operations leader might have a high Follow Thru score, meaning they naturally build systems, find order, and resist unstructured changes.

When you realize these differences are conative, not personal, the friction disappears. You stop viewing your Integrator as a bureaucrat who says no, and your Integrator stops viewing you as a chaotic disrupter.

Use this data to structure your planning. When the Visionary drops ten new ideas onto the Issues List, use your team's Fact Finders to research them and Follow Thrus to systemize them.

Do not let conative stress ruin your execution. By understanding each other's natural operating zones, you can assign Rocks that align with how people naturally solve problems, ensuring projects get done without burning out your team.