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@reesthecoach remind us what Kolbe B and C indexes are and how they relates to Kolbe A index? #theapexshow

The Kolbe B is completed by the individual and measures the functional demands of the current position, it is answered by the individual asking themselves “My job requires that I….”

The Kolbe C is completed by the supervisor and measures the functional expectations of a specific position. Answered by asking “This job requires….”

Conative Stress is a difference of 4 or more units in any Action Mode between

The difference between A & B is a measure of Strain which is defined as a condition where a person’s sense of how a task needs to be performed is substantially different from their natural method of problem solving.

The difference between A & C is a measure of Tension which is the condition where an external evaluator’s sense of how a task needs to be performed is substantially different from the job holders methods of problem solving.

@reesthecoach Kolbe offers many indexes, relationship index, etc tell us a bit about these #theapexshow

@mkritzinger: The A Index gives the instinctive method of operation (MO) & identifies the way an individual will be most productive.

Kolbe Y Index measures the instinctive abilities of young people from 8-17 or so.

Kolbe IF Index is for children from age 2 to 8, it is completed by their parents or observers and identifies the underlying patterns of a child’s activities.

Kolbe B Index measures an individual’s expectations of how they would behave in a current or prospective job.

Kolbe C Index is completed by the prospective manager or supervisor.

Kolbe R Index measures your expectations of another individual in a relationship, compare R with A Index provides insight into ways to improve the relationship.

Career MO+™ is a supplemental and identifies jobs & careers that fit your MO.

Financial MO+™ Identifies ways you can use your MO to make smarter decisions about money & finances.

@reesthecoach Would you recommend jobseekers to add their Kolbe A index to their CV when applying for work? #theapexshow

I would; of course, although Kolbe isn’t widely used in dentistry (but it’s growing) it is well known in HR circles. Having knowledge of your Kolbe means to a prospective employer that you have taken the time to invest in yourself and have something that will help to differentiate you from other applicants. It will also help prevent you possibly taking the wrong job, there’s far more to recruitment than a CV and a pleasant interview.

One of the advantages of the Kolbe A Index is that it doesn’t change so there is no need to retake with time.

Flip that over, and in order to prevent expensive mistakes I always advise employers to invest in their selection process by getting prospective team members to take the Kolbe A Index, at least at the final shortlist stage. It’s time that practice owners invested in their recruitment processes in the same way that other industries do.

@reesthecoach Describe a case study, which demonstrates Kolbe in action? #theapexshow

Keith is a practice owner in a rural town, he has taken until his late thirties to become a practice owner and is transitioning from the previous owner. He and the old owner, Larry, have effectively swapped positions. Larry had promised that he would reduce his days at the practice over a period of months but he is starting to give excuses and postponing his plans. Keith is finding this very frustrating and feels like he should be taking the bull by the horns but when he broaches the subject with Larry he comes across as being aggressive and the two of them, having enjoyed a good personal and working relationship to date, are hardly speaking.

There is a practice manager who has been with the practice for several years. She has a background of running her ex-husband’s business and is very confident in her approach to running the business. Keith is somewhat in awe of her and tends to defer to her.

So we have a new principal desperately wanting to put his mark on the business but tending to “beat himself up” because he felt that he ought to be more dynamic, he wanted to feel like he was an entrepreneur, that he was a trailblazer and leading from the front. Unfortunately some poor coaching previously had re-enforced these feelings of inadequacy so poor Keith was battling with his demons. He attributed his perceived lack of progress to a weakness in himself.

Keith’s Kolbe score is 5:6:4:5, this means that all his measures are in the mid-range and he is classified as a “Mediator™”. It is not an Action Mode but rather an ability to accommodate to all of the others. A Mediator easily switches among the Action Modes, moving from one mode to the next as needs arise.

A Mediator is willing to:

• Accommodate all other modes
• Adapt to changing needs
• Gain cooperation by mediating
• Commit to group progress
• Provide backup support

A Mediator’s contributions include:

• Having the ability to act as a facilitator among people with various insistences
• Being a team player
• Being adaptable – thriving when cross-trained for many roles
• Being able to lead by consensus
• Being able to empower and delegate

In common with many of my clients who have taken their Kolbe A™ there was a huge moment of clarity when Keith’s scores were explained to him. Another name for Mediator is Facilitator and Keith realised that he had been his most successful and happy when he was not in a starring role but rather when he was acting as the glue that held people with different insistencies together. He naturally liked to work in environments with individuals who had a lot of instinctive diversity. Keith’s flair for leadership came from bringing consensus to those around him. Without a particular way of getting the job done, the Mediator is a crucial bridge between polarized conative factions on the team. He actually resists taking a starring role as he thinks it is superficial and stops him contributing.

So much for theory, with all this awareness Keith was able to resurrect the amicable relationship with Larry that they had enjoyed for many years and was able to help and support Larry through his move to new challenges.

Whether the “Kolbe aware” Keith changed in his attitude to the practice manager I am not sure, but she moved on within 12 months or so. Instead of this being the crisis that it would once have been, he was able to appoint a successor that was his choice and this has been a success.

The team that he has built, and continues to build, is a far happier crew than it was. Keith is at one with his role of Facilitator – Conciliator and no longer feels that he has to be the “dynamic, thrusting entrepreneur” (whatever that may be) that he had previously imagined was the only way to be a success. Now at one and happy to trust his instincts his efforts are bearing fruit and he has one of the best practices with the best team for miles around.

@reesthecoach What are the Kolbe A indexes of your team and how do you best work together? #theapexshow

I referred in the last question to my needing someone who initiates in Follow Through, my partner is just that, she seeks order, designs systems, works sequentially and establishes procedures – all of this I can do but find it very hard work. She on the other hand Prevents in Quick Start so she won’t go off half-cocked, be impulsive or ambiguous, neither will she try to do too many things.

As a contrast with me she can’t operate in crisis mode unless she absolutely has to so between us we can achieve most things, the greater the crisis the better I am at sorting out what’s important and what’s urgent.

So the way we work is for me to be “first in” assessing, temporising and getting the eye for the big picture then she provides the long term structure for the success and future stability of the client. Works well as long as we get out of each other’s way.

We both Respond in Fact Finder so we work in the same way there so we’ll review data, work within priorities, go with the highest probability and accept rank order.

@reesthecoach what is your KOLBE and how have you learnt to work to your strengths in your career? #theapexshow

My MO is 6:3:8:3, and when I got my score I felt that a weight had come off my shoulders that my instinctive way of getting things done is to take risks, initiate change, seek challenges, discover alternatives & create innovation.

I prevent in Follow Through meaning I won’t be rigid with plans, stay boxed in, get stuck in routines or go through the motions.

I also prevent in Implementor, which helped me to understand that whilst I was able to be a good practical dentist I found it incredibly frustrating. I work best with ideas and abstractions.

Had I known 25 years ago what I know now I would have stuck to my instinct which was to work at “emergency” dentistry, I enjoyed nothing more than acute problems, facial fractures, abscesses and the like gave me far more satisfaction than completing a row of veneers. In my current profession I love being the “trouble shooter” when people have problems with their businesses.

It also taught me that in order to be successful I must have someone with me who is high in follow through to carry through the business & I will come back to that later on.

@reesthecoach If someone would like to read up on Kolbe, where can they go? #theapexshow

Start with www.kolbe.com, which has loads, of information I tend to re-visit it on a weekly basis and am learning more all the time.

Then there are Kathy’s books: Pure Instinct, Powered by Instinct and Conative Connection; the latter two are easier to read and I would save Pure Instinct unless you are intending studying for certification.

Finally sign up for Kathy’s Blog feed and follow her on Twitter. She is a wonderfully energetic person and is constantly coming up with new ideas.

mkritzinger Hi everyone, #theapexshow will start in 10 mins, pls join and introduce yourselves! http://tiny.cc/welcome509

mkritzingerWelcome to the #theapexshow http://tiny.cc/welcome509 brought to you by Interactive Dental Media http://tiny.cc/5YCoO

Our guest today is @alunkrees who will talk about Kolbe Wisdom to dentistry watch this video intro http://tiny.cc/vqjmc

mkritzinger@alunkrees has a great special offer tonight for the Apex REWARD. Stay tuned for the details

mkritzinger Hi @alunkrees thanks for your time we are thrilled to interview you on #theapexshow tonight!

@mkritzinger Thanks for having me on your show, looking forward to it #theapexshow 

mkritzinger Let’s begin round one of the questions

mkritzinger @alunkrees how did you first hear about Kolbe Wisdom and what drew you to it?

@mkritzinger Dan Sullivan via Chris Barrow. Insights gained by individual clients and benefits to team structure were dramatic

mkritzinger For Alun’s detailed answer about this visit  http://tiny.cc/alun1

mkritzinger Ding Ding end of round ONE all unanswered questions will be answered at the end

mkritzinger Round 2 @alunkrees What are the first steps you need to take to use Kolbe yourself or for your team?

@mkritzinger Visit www.alunrees.com/kolbe-analysis invest in the Kolbe A analysis. Take time to absorb results & get in touch

mkritzinger To read a longer answer on this prepared by Alun go to http://tiny.cc/alun2

mkritzinger Ding Ding end of round TWO all unanswered questions will be answered at the end

mkritzinger Round 3 @alunkrees what is the single most important thing the Kolbe system can do in the dental practice?

@mkritzinger Insight. It shows how people solve problems & how they work best. Lets people see and understand their strengths

mkritzinger Alun has written a detailed answer about this here http://tiny.cc/alun3

mkritzinger Ding Ding end of round THREE all unanswered questions will be answered at the end

mkritzinger Round 4 @alunkrees tell me what Kolbe Wisdom is not

@mkritzinger It is NOT a measure of intellect, intelligence or personality. Doesn’t say how someone thinks, feels, knows…

mkritzinger If you want to read Alun’s long answer on this click here http://tiny.cc/alun4

mkritzinger Ding Ding end of round FOUR all unanswered questions will be answered at the end

mkritzinger Round 5 @alunkrees what does it feel like to find out your Kolbe Index A?

@mkritzinger A “lightbulb moment”. It gives great insight into why you excel at some things yet struggle with others

mkritzinger To read Alun’s detailed answer about this visit http://tiny.cc/alun5

mkritzinger Ding Ding end of round FIVE all unanswered questions will be answered at the end

mkritzinger This ends our 5 rounds of the show and now there is a general Q&A to ask @alunkrees re Kolbe

mkritzinger GONG! That’s the end of this week’s show I hope you enjoyed it – please join us for the next one http://tiny.cc/schedule17



#theapexshow: @alunkrees what are the most significant things you’ve learnt from using Kolbe yourself?
@alunkrees: By using the 36-question Kolbe A Index, it is possible to identify the striving instincts that drive natural behaviours. I outlined the four Conative Characteristics:

Fact Finder – Gathering and sharing of information.
Follow through – Sorting and Storing Information.
Quick Start – Dealing with risk and uncertainty.
Implementation – Handling space and intangibles.

This time I would like to start to share with you how I use the system in my day-to-day professional life. Before working with an individual or a group I have them take the Kolbe A Index and I spend some time examining the results.

Individuals
There is invariably a “light-bulb” moment when a person first sits down and reads their Kolbe A analysis. Usually it comes with a sense of comprehension, which can lead to acceptance of why they struggle with some aspects of their life. Frequently there is a feeling of relief that that there isn’t something “wrong” with them because they seem to succeed in some areas but continue to wrestle with others.

Often people will tell me that they wished they had known their Kolbe Index result years ago as they are able to discover the source of their stress.

With the assistance of the analysis I am able to coach individuals on how they might perform better and to be a happier and more useful member of a team. In some instances it is apparent that someone is doing the wrong job and would be better employed in a totally different role.

Teams
With the Kolbe A analyses for the whole team then it is possible by examining the Kolbe Synergy report to determine the distribution of talent within a team or the separate parts of teams e.g. nurses, front desk, clinicians, partners.
If there is an imbalance of any of the conative characteristics then the team’s performance cannot be at its optimum.
Cloning is the term given to uniformity of talent or lack of conative diversity, which limits opportunity and leads to Inertia. Frequently people will appoint others that agree with them and work the way that they do. Ultimately this will result in stagnation and a loss of productivity caused by uniform action and boredom.
Conflict or too many people with similar characteristics can result in Polarisation between separate parts of a large team e.g receptionists who initiate in Fact Finder may clash with nurses who initiate in Implementor and have a significantly different approach to problem solving.

Far too common is strain which results in Depletion. This comes from too high a proportion of team members trying to perform in ways that are not natural to them. Mental energy works against itself when the conative instincts are denied. If this happens in a group then it will be reflected in the bottom line.
Tension leads to Meltdown, which happens when people who know perfectly well who they are, suffer from unrealistic, external rather than self-imposed, pressure to act otherwise. A classic example of this in Dental Practice is the nurse that returns to work after a career break and runs the front desk to last only a month before leaving in tears.
Recruitment
With our knowledge of the existing team we can see where there may be missing energies in the set up. So when looking to make the final choice of candidates for a post, each of the short-listed takes the A Index and the result is compared with the existing strengths and, above all, deficiencies of the team.

Beyond the A Index
I am not trying to muddy the waters but it’s time to mention the B & C Indices. You will recall that the A index measured the individual’s instinctive talent.

The Kolbe C is taken by the employer or supervisor and completed as if the ideal individual were taking the index. This gives the job requirements or functional necessities.

The Kolbe B focuses on the methods that the jobholder perceives are necessary for success, so the jobholder’s self-expectations.

Comparing A and B gives an idea how much strain you may be under because of the pressure you put upon yourself.
Comparing A and C indicates whether another person or the organisation is limiting your opportunity to achieve, thereby causing tension between you and that person.

Comparing B and C can explain differing perceptions of the role.

Conclusion
At first you may feel this is a significant investment of time and effort and indeed that is how many clients have felt. However if you consider the cost to your business of just one bad appointment, one person doing the wrong job you will find that getting involved with the Kolbe Wisdom™ not only makes economic sense but also strengthens the team as a whole and as individuals.

#theapexshow: @alunkrees what does it look like to find out your Kolbe Index A?
@alunkrees: Most people have a “lightbulb moment” a great feeling of “ah-ha got it!”. Usually they see why they have to wrestle with some things in their lives and revel in others.

Keith’s story is a great illustration and case study:

Keith is a practice owner in a rural town, he has taken until his late thirties to become a practice owner and is transitioning from the previous owner. He and the old owner, Larry, have effectively swapped positions. Larry had promised that he would reduce his days at the practice over a period of months but he is starting to give excuses and postponing his plans. Keith is finding this very frustrating and feels like he should be taking the bull by the horns but when he broaches the subject with Larry he comes across as being aggressive and the two of them, having enjoyed a good personal and working relationship to date, are hardly speaking.
There is a practice manager who has been with the practice for several years. She has a background of running her ex-husband’s business and is very confident in her approach to running the business. Keith is somewhat in awe of her and tends to defer to her.

So we have a new principal desperately wanting to put his mark on the business but tending to “beat himself up” because he felt that he ought to be more dynamic, he wanted to feel like he was an entrepreneur, that he was a trailblazer and leading from the front. Unfortunately some poor coaching previously had re-enforced these feelings of inadequacy so poor Keith was battling with his demons. He attributed his perceived lack of progress to a weakness in himself.
Keith’s Kolbe score is 5:6:4:5, this means that all his measures are in the mid-range and he is classified as a “Mediator™”.

It is not an Action Mode but rather an ability to accommodate to all of the others. A Mediator easily switches among the Action Modes, moving from one mode to the next as needs arise.

A Mediator is willing to:
Accommodate all other modes
Adapt to changing needs
Gain cooperation by mediating
Commit to group progress
Provide backup support

A Mediator’s contributions include:
Having the ability to act as a facilitator among people with various insistences
Being a team player
Being adaptable – thriving when cross-trained for many roles
Being able to lead by consensus
Being able to empower and delegate

In common with many of my clients who have taken their Kolbe A™ there was a huge moment of clarity when Keith’s scores were explained to him. Another name for Mediator is Facilitator and Keith realised that he had been his most successful and happy when he was not in a starring role but rather when he was acting as the glue that held people with different insistencies together. He naturally liked to work in environments with individuals who had a lot of instinctive diversity. Keith’s flair for leadership came from bringing consensus to those around him. Without a particular way of getting the job done, the Mediator is a crucial bridge between polarized conative factions on the team. He actually resists taking a starring role as he thinks it is superficial and stops him contributing.

So much for theory, with all this awareness Keith was able to resurrect the amicable relationship with Larry that they had enjoyed for many years and was able to help and support Larry through his move to new challenges.
Whether the “Kolbe aware” Keith changed in his attitude to the practice manager I am not sure, but she moved on within 12 months or so. Instead of this being the crisis that it would once have been, he was able to appoint a successor that was his choice and this has been a success.
The team that he has built, and continues to build, is a far happier crew than it was. Keith is at one with his role of Facilitator – Conciliator and no longer feels that he has to be the “dynamic, thrusting entrepreneur” (whatever that may be) that he had previously imagined was the only way to be a success. Now at one and happy to trust his instincts his efforts are bearing fruit and he has one of the best practices with the best team for miles around.