CONGRATULATIONS Leonard
You Got a Perfect Score on the Kolbe A Index
You’re terrific when juggling rapidly changing priorities. You are known for taking risks that are grounded in practical realities. You don’t mess around with what has always been done, but temper your trial-and-error approach by strategizing options.
Kolbe Action Modes®
How do we know this? You told us when you completed the Kolbe A™ Index. Our proprietary algorithm sorted out your answers and came up with the pattern of your MO (Modus Operandi).
Leonard Whittaker
Fact Finder: is how you gather and share information.
Your way of doing it is to Specify.
Follow Thru: is how you organize.
Your way of doing it is to Adapt.
QuickStart: is how you deal with risks and uncertainty.
Your way of doing it is to Innovate.
Implementor: is how you handle space and tangibles.
Your way of doing it is to Envision.
IT’S WHAT DRIVES YOU, Leonard
Your Kolbe result celebrates your Modes of Operation (MO): 7-3-9-1. It doesn’t have anything to do with what your social style is or how smart you are. It’s how you will and won’t naturally take action.
Kolbe adds a new dimension. Based on wisdom going back to Plato and Aristotle, the Kolbe Theory™ has proven successful with over one million users.
Conables® Tips, individualized for you, will not only help you explain your way of taking action, they will help you control the outcomes. For example:
Conables® Tips
- Tired of Questions like:
- Why do you put off making repairs?
Why don’t you take better care of your equipment?
- Why do you put off making repairs?
- How about saying:
- If you’d broken as many things as I have, you too would stop trying.
It’s just not my thing.
- If you’d broken as many things as I have, you too would stop trying.
What's so different about the Kolbe Index?
You have a natural strength in each Action Mode that helps you make better decisions
Action Modes | ||
Fact Finder |
Your best way of gathering and sharing information is to Specify. | |
For instance, you might: Research in-depth Establish specific priorities Quantify/rank order particulars Define objectives Assess probabilities |
Define terms with exactness Determine appropriateness Provide historical evidence Create analogies Develop complex strategies |
|
Follow Thru |
Your best way of organizing is to Adapt. | |
For instance, you might: Create shortcuts Revise approaches Thrive on interruptions Diversify Switch tasks frequently |
Be flexible Cut through bureaucracy Do several things at once Keep everything accessible Loosen up rigid processes |
|
Quick Start |
Your best way of dealing with risks and uncertainty is to Innovate. | |
For instance, you might: Create a sense of urgency Initiate change Improvise solutions Promote alternatives Negotiate shortcuts |
Brainstorm possibilities Originate options Generate slogans Defy the odds Ad lib stories and presentations |
|
Implementor |
Your best way of tackling space and tangibles is to Envision. | |
For instance, you might: Create virtual presentations Conceptualize solutions Envision circumstances Capture the essence Portray symbolically |
Find intangible methods Jury-rig fixes Sketch ideas Simulate actual situations Concoct out of thin air |
|
Deal with information in the way that’s best for you and let others do the rest.
Conables® Tips
Take charge of your Fact Finder instinct!
When organizing, you have an instinct to Adapt. Don’t let others force you into doing it their way!
Conables® Tips
It's how YOU Follow Thru that matters.
In the midst of uncertainty you shine because you Innovate.
Conables® Tips
How you deal with uncertainty is actually quite certain.
How you show what you mean is part of your “charm.” You’re perfect just the way you are.
Conables® Tips
Handle things YOUR way.
TIME AND ENERGY
Everyone runs out of time and energy.
You can’t get time back – once it’s used, it’s gone – but energy can be renewed.
YOUR PYRAMID OF MENTAL ENERGY
Your 100 “ergs” of mental energy are equal to the energy available to every other human being. This gives you the same potential power as any CEO or rock star.
Specify
35%
Adapt
15%
Innovate
45%
Envision
5%
Each of your 100 ergs has the same intensity - whether it is in the Initiating, ReActing, or CounterActing zone.
A lot of your time is spent trying to come up with ideas. The good news for you is that you naturally edit out the really goofy ones. You may leap toward a goal with uncertain complications, but your Fact Finder strength quickly ascertains whether you can live with the results and makes sure you’re not wasting time on low-priority tasks. Your other conative strengths kick in to polish the process.
Don’t let anyone stereotype you as contributing or “being” just one of the Action Modes. Your contribution begins with innovating and continues until you envision the solution.
Self-manage your use of these limited, but renewable, resources. Use them purposefully and they will bring joy to your life.
TRUSTING YOUR SENSE OF TIME
It’s tough to allocate your time, especially when no one but Kolbe has explained the role of your conative assets.
You use time according to your MO. So forget time management advice that doesn’t take it into consideration. Everyone has an equal amount of conative energy, used in differing amounts and orders. You use it in your particular order and percentages per mode.
Quick Start
45%
Fact Finder
35%
Follow Thru
15%
Implementor
5%
When free to use your strengths:
1. You’ll start the problem solving process by brainstorming.
2. Next you fact check and determine practical and appropriate priorities.
3. Then, you look for shortcuts.
4. Finally, Leonard, you visualize solutions.
If you work against your grain, you’ll never have “enough” time. You will squander it by taking non-productive paths.
GET MORE DONE IN LESS TIME.
We can't give you more time, but we have proven leveraging your conative strengths can more than double your productivity.
Here are some ways you can get the multiplier effect from your MO of 7-3-9-1.
Conables® Tips
- Commit–but to very little. Target your top priorities. Unlike time, you can replenish conative energy, but it takes downtime to do it.
- Save time by doing a reality check before going all out with an idea.
- Protect your energy by cutting your losses when your instincts tell you something isn’t working.
- Self-Provoke to get where you want to go. You’re responsible for goading yourself to initiate necessary action.
Expand Your Horizons
Listen to customized audio of Kathy Kolbe discussing YOUR initiating strengths. Gain great insight into how to make them work for you in the Natural Advantage - Entrepreneur Audio (check Audible.com to purchase download).
Get Conative, Leonard!
Give yourself a deadline, guess if you must, and decide to beat the odds.
Conables® Tips
Because most of the world hasn't recognized conation, you may actually have been taught ways of taking action that are absolutely wrong for you.
The truth is you need to describe what's in your mind rather than trying to make it yourself.
A good way to start your day is to zero in on the top priorities and get them done first.
Don't just take our word for it; try it! You may surprise yourself with how much you can get done, and by how natural it feels.
Conables® Tips
You’re likely to procrastinate if you have to fill in lots of forms.
When you need to be persuasive in an unfamiliar situation, wing it. Trust your guts to pull out the right examples and call it as you see it.
You may be acting against your grain without even knowing it. When we work against our grain, we are not only unhappy but also unproductive, wasting our time on things that require too much energy. Instead of robbing yourself of your valuable time and energy, modify the things you need to do so that you can accomplish them in your own way.
COMMUNICATION & RELATIONSHIPS
Communication is at the Heart of a Relationship
Communication involves Action, ReAction, CounterAction and InterAction. Of course, emotions cause the desire to communicate while thoughts provide the content. However it’s your conative instincts that drive how it plays out.
If you aren’t communicating through your conative strengths, you are likely to come across as acting out of character or not being authentic.
We’re taught that there is a “right way” to do things. Our essays have the same structure and our resumes look like we’ve all had the same experiences.
How can you be true to who you are, and win approval too? We give you individualized Conables Tips for communicating in your own way without turning other people off.
“If you get out of kilter with your MO, how do you expect others to “get” who you are?”
Kathy Kolbe
It’s Not Just What You Say, It’s How You Say It
Conables® Tips
If everyone around you knew who you are, you could get three times as much done. You have moments with rapid-fire tossing out of ideas (some you’ve never heard until you said them out loud), and your immediate action is to sell them. Your explosion of “what ifs” needs to be understood as starting points. It’s not until you’ve had time to step back and consider the consequences of them that you begin to pick the practical ideas.
You need the freedom to speak up and shout out, yet the time to write it down and read it back. People who only see one side of your conative process may stereotype you – to everyone’s detriment.
It’s important for you to know the conative strengths around you, just as it’s important for them to know yours. Build a team around you that understands the way you work and let ideas simmer without judgement for at least a little while.
Leonard, Communicate Your Way
Conables® Tips
- Your instincts won't change with age. Be obstinate with people who expect you to conform to age stereotypes – or any other kind of stereotype.
- Position yourself as an expert. State your case with examples.
- Assert your need to march to your own drummer. Others can take you out of your game by making you match their rhythm.
WIN–WIN RELATIONSHIPS
There is no perfect combination of Kolbe results for relationships. The ideal spouse, child, sibling, parent, grandparent, colleague or friend will respect your conative truth and allow you the freedom to be yourself.
“Trying to avoid conflict between people with strong conative differences is impossible. No use pretending – it will come out sooner or later. Discussing the differences doesn’t resolve them. It involves them. It turns a clash of wills into a meeting of the minds. You are impelled to act according to your instincts, but you can’t compel others to respond the same way.”
Conative Connection by Kathy Kolbe
People trust what they sense comes from your conative truths.
Conative action never happens in isolation from the other two parts of the mind, the affective and cognitive.
You can improve relationships by understanding similarities and differences in your conative MOs.
In situations with someone who is pretty much your conative clone, you might be able to finish each other’s sentences, but it could also lead to: inertia in what you do together or competition for who could do things better or more than the other.
Conables® Tips
When working with someone whose MO is similar to your own:
- Avoid getting stuck in your shared methods by bringing in others with diverse approaches.
- Don’t evaluate others by what works best for both of you. For instance, when parents think kids should do things the same way they do them, it often leads to false expectations.
In situations with a person who has very different conative strengths than you do, you can benefit from the resulting Synergy, or the differences can cause conflict and stress.
Conables® Tips
When working with someone whose MO is very different than yours:
- For you, togetherness may mean doing different things in the same room.
- Don’t try to get the other person to work toward shared goals the same way you do.
Career Considerations
Look for Opportunities to Contribute Your Conative Strengths
Leonard, you do your best work when you strive according to your MO. You're most likely to succeed in jobs that use your conative strengths according to each of the Action Modes.
Finding Careers that Give You the Freedom to Be Yourself
You have many strengths that could contribute to an organization.
In job interviews, people often say things they think employers want to hear. Yet if they get a job based upon false promises, they usually become frustrated and regret having to live up to them.
Finding a job that lets you use your natural strengths is a formula for success.
It pays to be truthful in promoting your MO
Conables® Tips
- In the early stages of a career, you may need extra-curricular activities that allow you to Initiate Action. Be sure that long-term career choices lead to opportunities to take Initiative.
- When considering a specific career, see if you can find out the MOs of those who are successful in that role.
Summary & Share
Leonard, the information in every section of this report was individualized for you, whether you remember it by:
However you visualize your MO – it's important to keep the message of your conative strengths in the front of your mind as you make life empowering decisions.
Now that you know the power of your MO, it's up to you to use it for good purposes. The world needs your conative strengths!