Our VP of Sales has hit their ceiling and is experiencing physical exhaustion. They have great IQ and personality, but the sheer volume of systemizing we need to prepare for an exit is paralyzing them. How do we diagnose if this is a conative mismatch using Kolbe?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a leader who has historically been a strong performer hits their ceiling and begins experiencing physical exhaustion, the root cause is rarely a lack of desire or intelligence. It is almost always conative strain. This occurs when the instinctive way they take action is misaligned with the natural demands of their seat on the Accountability Chart.

To diagnose this objectively, you must look beyond personality and cognitive capability. You need to assess their natural striving instincts. Have them complete the Kolbe A™ Index to map their conative method of operation. Then, compare these results with the expectations of their role.

Conative strain occurs when a person is forced to work against their natural grain for extended periods. For example, if your scaling plans require your VP of Sales to build highly structured systems and long-term timelines, but their Kolbe results show a low Follow Thru, they are spending massive amounts of mental energy trying to operate in a resistant mode. This mismatch acts like a slow-draining battery, leading directly to the exhaustion you are seeing.

Your next step is to address this alignment gap. Use the Kolbe B™ Index to have the leader evaluate their own perception of the job requirements, and run a comparison. If the role has evolved to require high Follow Thru and high Fact Finder strengths that they simply do not possess, you cannot train them out of their natural instincts. You must adjust the seat, delegate the systematizing work to a direct report with the right conative profile, or transition them to a seat where their natural strengths can shine.