How Kolbe Transformed Us: Finding the Right Fit
At Grounded With Data (GWD), understanding how people work—whether individually or as part of a team—is at the core of what we do. One tool that has significantly shaped how we operate and collaborate is the Kolbe A Index, which measures something unique: not personality or intelligence, but how you naturally take action.
When GWD co-founders, Patti and Dr. Jack, first encountered the Kolbe A Index, they discovered how deeply it could impact the way they led their business, worked together, and built their team. It became a tool not just for personal insight, but for transforming team dynamics and optimizing the way everyone at GWD works.
What is the Kolbe A Index?
Unlike other assessments, the Kolbe A Index focuses on conative strengths—your natural way of taking action. These strengths are categorized into four key Action Modes:
- Fact Finder: How you gather and share information.
- Follow Thru: How you organize and systematize.
- Quick Start: How you handle risk and uncertainty.
- Implementor: How you deal with space and tangibles.
By understanding these Action Modes, individuals and teams can see where they naturally excel and where they might struggle. For GWD, this tool has become instrumental in understanding how to structure our workflows, optimize team roles, and make sure every team member is placed in a role that plays to their strengths.
Unlocking Team Potential: The Kolbe A Index in Action
When Patti and Jack took the Kolbe A Index, it offered immediate clarity on their individual strengths and how those could best be leveraged within the business. For example:
- Jack’s Role: Jack thrives in the Fact Finder mode, excelling at deep research, analysis, and ensuring every detail is covered.
- Patti’s Role: Patti shines in Follow Thru, naturally creating systems, planning, and coordinating the logistics that bring the vision to life.
But something crucial emerged. Both Patti and Jack were using a lot of energy early on in the process—during the fact-finding and systematizing phases—which left them feeling drained when it came time to execute. It became clear that they needed additional support to handle the hands-on implementation of their ideas.
Lee’s Perfect Fit: Understanding Team Dynamics with Kolbe
One of the most powerful moments in GWD’s journey with Kolbe came when Lee, a key team member, took the assessment. Even before knowing her Kolbe results, it was obvious that she was a natural fit for the team. However, her Kolbe results illuminated why she was such a great match.
Lee excels in Follow Thru, just like Patti, but with a different focus. While Patti drives the creation of systems and logistics, Lee is exceptional at maintaining, refining, and ensuring things run smoothly over time. In many ways, Patti and Jack conceptualize the “machine,” but Lee ensures that machine becomes a well-oiled operation.
Lee’s strengths also complement Jack’s by ensuring that the implementation and day-to-day operations are handled efficiently, allowing Jack to focus on deeper research and strategy.
The clarity that Kolbe provided allowed GWD to fully understand how well Lee fit into the team, reinforcing the importance of aligning team roles with natural strengths.
Strategic Hiring and Role Alignment: The Kolbe Advantage
The Kolbe A Index doesn’t just help existing teams operate more effectively—it’s also a powerful tool for strategic hiring and role alignment.
Imagine being able to assess, before hiring, whether a candidate is instinctively suited for the role you need them to fill. The Kolbe A Index makes this possible, providing critical insights into how a potential hire naturally operates. This means that you can avoid common pitfalls, like misaligned roles, that lead to burnout and turnover.
At GWD, this insight became particularly valuable when working with a contractor—referred to internally as a Quester. The contractor, who was managing GWD as a side project while maintaining a full-time job, began to burn out. Despite their clear talent, they weren’t operating in a way that aligned with their natural instincts.
After taking the Kolbe A Index, it became evident that the role was requiring them to use their energy in areas that didn’t come naturally—especially in the Follow Thru mode. They excelled in Quick Start, a mode that thrives on taking risks and handling uncertainty, but the role demanded detailed follow-through and systematizing, which drained their energy and led to burnout. Recognizing this misalignment helped GWD adjust the workload and provided an important lesson in using Kolbe to strategically place people where they can succeed.
The Takeaway: Putting People in the Right Roles with Kolbe
Using the Kolbe A Index to align strengths with roles is a game-changer. Here are a few ways it can transform your business:
- Strategic Hiring: The Kolbe A Index can be used as part of the interview process to ensure that candidates are instinctively suited for the role, reducing the likelihood of burnout or poor performance.
- Role Alignment: When team members are placed in roles that match their natural strengths, they are more productive, engaged, and satisfied in their work.
- Preventing Burnout: Ensuring that individuals aren’t consistently operating outside of their natural flow is key to preventing burnout, maintaining team morale, and achieving long-term success.
At GWD, we’ve seen firsthand how Kolbe has transformed the way we work. It’s not just about understanding individual strengths—it’s about optimizing team dynamics to create a more effective, engaged, and productive workforce.
Learn More About Kolbe and GWD’s Approach
If you’re looking to improve your team’s dynamics or hire more strategically, the Kolbe A Index could be the key to unlocking your team’s full potential. Want to learn more about how we’ve implemented Kolbe in our own business? Check out our Leadership/Team Harmony Program, or contact us to discuss how we can help you transform your team.
