When you first discover the power of Kolbe and instinctive strengths, it’s an exciting time!
Everybody on the team gets their 4-number Kolbe A™ Index result and starts comparing bar charts. Each person begins to identify their conative strengths and how they can be more productive, and the whole team starts to combine their talents and work better together.
“Wow! Knowing my instinctive strengths is amazing! This will change our business forever.”
Then, life happens.
Things get busy. New projects get started. Other projects stall, and old habits creep back in as people return to working outside of their strengths zone and stop effectively using their conative instincts.
Here’s the thing: it can take both time and practice to effectively use your strengths in the ways you care about most. And, it’s worth it.
Luckily, there are easy ways to keep the power of Kolbe alive in an organization:
1. Use Visual Reminders
Many Kolbe clients use printed bar charts at each person’s desk to serve as a constant visual reminder of people’s Kolbe results. That way, if you approach a colleague, you can instantly see if they’re an Initiating Follow Thru and may get stressed by random or frequent interruptions. Or you might see they’re a CounterActing Fact Finder so you’ll keep your discussion short and to the point. You can also consider clip-on name tags that you can each wear during team sessions or even during conferences. You can even take your bar chart on the go!
Now that Zoom meetings may be more common than stopping by a physical desk, one trick is to change your name in Zoom meetings to add your Kolbe numbers. For example, our CEO David Kolbe goes by “David 8-2-7-3 Kolbe” on screen, so we always know to expect probing questions and spontaneous brainstorming. We designed custom Zoom backgrounds with team members’ bar chart so they’re always in view.
2. Repeat Tips & Use Games
Many teams are using the handy Kolbe Cards packs to keep Kolbe Wisdom™ top of mind. There are three different decks full of activities, tips, and discussion prompts to drive a deeper understanding of Kolbe A Index results and working better together. Consider carving out time during regular staff meetings for small groups of people to work through the different card prompts. It’s is a great way to spend 15-20 minutes keeping teams engaged and reinforcing the power of conation.
3. Host an Activate Your A™ Book Club
One of the best resources for effectively using Kolbe A Index results is the Activate Your A Workbook – now available on Amazon! This handy guide is full of 20+ unique activities to enhance your understanding and appreciation of instinctive strengths. Consider getting a team together at work for weekly or bi-weekly gatherings to tackle each section. Add some snacks and maybe a post-book club happy hour, and this can be a great way to have fun and learn how to be more productive.
4. Get back to basics – read your Kolbe A Index Results
If you haven’t read your custom Kolbe A report in a while, start making it a habit. Some folks set a 6-month reminder on their calendar to go back to the digital version of their result. Here’s why: you’ll always spot something new or newly relevant. The content of the result doesn’t change, but your life experiences do. Maybe you’re stuck on a project or feeling a lot of stress, the “Do’s and Don’ts” sections of your result will give you immediately actionable advice and refresh your understanding of your own strengths. Track down your result at Kolbe.com/FindMyA
5. Get an in-house Kolbe expert
One side-effect of using instinctive strengths to build a productive business is that people get busy, and nobody gets designated as the Kolbe point-person. It’s time to find that person and send them to the Kolbe Plus 1-Day Workshop or our even more advanced Kolbe Certification™ Seminar. These training sessions will help specific team members go deeper with the Kolbe Concept®. At Kolbe Plus, they’ll learn how to use the core solutions in the Kolbe System™ effectively and keep the team’s momentum. But, to get the most out of the system, having a Kolbe Certified™ Consultant on staff is a must! Getting certified will teach a team member how to interpret individual results, effectively run reports, and use the RightFit™ hiring solution — plus much more. If an in-house consultant isn’t feasible, you can find a Kolbe Certified Consultant near you by searching on Kolbe.com.
Hopefully, one or more of these tactics will help you and your team use Kolbe to accomplish the things you care about most.
TELL US: How do YOU keep Kolbe alive in your organization? Leave a comment below.
