Understanding people’s natural problem solving abilities is key to effective leadership and team collaboration. One of the best tools to do so is the Kolbe A^TM Index, which gives you a score of 1-10 in one of four Action Modes®: Fact Finder, Follow Thru, Quick Start and Implementor.

Since a person’s Kolbe A Index score has been proven to not change throughout their life, these abilities are referred to as “innate”.

Each Mode has three operating zones and each zone represents a strength that can be equally useful when problem-solving.  However, deep mental exhaustion can result when people are forced to take action for long periods of time in a way that is contrary to their natural patterns.

UNDERSTANDING KOLBE’S FACT FINDER ACTION MODE

Fact Finder is the Action Mode that deals with how a leader or team member handles detail and complexity.  It also indicates how much information or data someone needs when problem solving.

FACT FINDER SCORE 7-10: “STRATEGIZE” TALENT

These people initiate action by collecting date, establishing priorities and accessing probabilities and won’t start a task until they have gathered as much information as they need.

This can make for strong leaders and managers. Yet, in team collaboration, too many people with this strength will tend to create inertia:  the team won’t jump into a project without the full picture or a thorough understanding of the issues. Meetings can become long and tedious and deadlines are missed.

Fact Finder “Strategizers” in Action

• Jason owns a digital marketing firm. His 8 Fact Finder score is a big driver in finding solutions for his clients. However, Jason needs to be careful not to get into analysis paralysis, continuing to probe for the “right” solutions even beyond what might be needed. He has also learned to trim down his explanations to others, as those who don’t share his MO can be overwhelmed by all the details he provides.
• Caroline, a leadership coach and consultant, has a 7 score. This means she can dig with specificity and own a topic with complete clarity.  She can become annoyed by people who don’t have the same level of precision. This can cause her challenges in team collaboration. The Kolbe System™ has given her the awareness to trust people with a different approach, understanding how to work with them to create powerful results.

FACT FINDER SCORE 4-6: “EXPLAIN” TALENT

People with this score are willing to review the data and work within priorities, but do not have to collect in-depth information to start problem solving.

To be well balanced, a team should have about 50% of its members with this talent.

Fact Finder “Explainers” in Action

• Valeria, a marketing strategist, has a 4 in Fact Finder. She is able to extract crucial details and can hold her attention early in the fact finding process but loses interest in it once she feels she has enough information to get started.  For this reason, she has come to realize that clients who want her to do very meticulous research are not ideal for her.
• Jennifer works as a controller at a consulting firm. Her 5 in Fact Finder makes her a strong complement to her boss and co-workers, most of whom are Strategizers (7-9 score). She is willing to provide them with the deep level of detail they require, though it can be frustrating for her because she does not sense it is needed. Jennifer used to think their requests for lots of data showed a lack of trust in her, however Kolbe has helped her see that it’s not the case.

FACT FINDER SCORE 1-3: “SIMPLIFY” TALENT

In team collaboration, these people prevent stagnation by not over analyzing, cutting through information and choosing the obvious solution.  They do not require written proof or exact comparisons.

Fact Finder “Simplifiers” in Action

• Warren, a Kolbe Certified™ Consultant, is a 2 in Fact Finder, which helps him estimate work well with very little information.  When reading or listening to his clients, he can quickly distill a lot of information into one sentence with the key points. Since it is difficult for Warren to stay focused when doing research, he does “wind sprints” – working in short chunks of time, breaking projects into pieces that can hold his attention.
• Lori, a Human Resource consultant, speaker and facilitator also has a 2 in Fact Finder. She defines what she is looking for before she reads a proposal or a website, then goes right for the info she needs without getting bogged down in details.  She is adept at listening for what she calls the “red flags” and, as soon as they appear, she moves on.  The challenge is that her natural approach might cause her to miss important information or give people the impression that she is not listening.  Delegating projects that need research has been a tremendous asset in managing her business.

TAKEAWAY

The insights gained from your Kolbe Result can help you manage your mental energy and be a more effective leader. The key to creating teams that work well together is to understand in which zone each person’s strength lies and how it plays with others.

Contact me to learn about your Fact Finder Action Mode and all of your innate talent to increase how you contribute to your business.

Discover the other Kolbe Action Modes®:

Fact Finder	Measures: Methods of Gathering and Sharing Information
Follow Thru	Measures: Methods of Organizing
Quick Start	Measures: Methods of Dealing with Risk and Uncertainty
Implementor	Measures: Methods of Handling Space and Tangibles

 

Kolbe A™ Index and Action Modes® are the trademarks of Kathy Kolbe and Kolbe Corp. All rights reserved.