Orthotown August 2017 - 46

The Kolbe assessment
isn't about whether
you're capable of getting
something done;
it's about how you get it
done when you have the
freedom to do it your way.

What if I told you that you might be
able to bypass these common frustrations by
knowing a particular trait of that new hire?
Their M.O., modus operandi, determines
how they do what they do every day-how
they handle deadlines, employee relationships
and new challenges, and even their tendency
to accept (or fight) big changes in life. Each
of your team members has his or her own
personal M.O., and they all interact on a
daily basis.

Identifying your strong suits
Several years ago I learned of a tool
that sees straight through people's skills
and intelligence to their M.O. The Kolbe
assessment doesn't have anything to do with
how smart, sociable or capable you are; it
just reveals how you naturally operate within
four critical areas:
Fact Finder: The instinctive way you
gather and share information.
Follow Thru: The instinctive way you
arrange and design.
Quick Start: The instinctive way you
deal with risk and uncertainty.
Implementor: The instinctive way you
handle space and tangibles.

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JULY/AUGUST 2017 // orthotown.com

The assessment results are the combination of your ratings in each area, scored on
a 1-to-10 scale. It's important to note that a
rating of 1 does not translate to a poor score.
Because each definition focuses on how you
complete a task, not if, a low number just
represents a different strength within that
area. In fact, every single component of
your Kolbe score is positive. It's not about
whether you're capable of getting something
done; it's about how you get it done when
you have the freedom to do it your way.
For example: If Person A is a 1 in the
Fact Finder category, she's able to simplify a
large amount of information and summarize
the message-generally able to make a
decision without gathering a ton of details.
If Person B is a 9 in the Fact Finder category,
she likes to have all of the details before
she makes a decision, so she reads through
the same information in depth. She may
even research something she's read or ask
additional questions to make sure she hasn't
missed anything. Her explanation of the key
messages is thorough, lengthy and complex.
Each woman has a totally different M.O.
Neither is "better"-each has its unique
advantages-and they might even still

reach exactly the same conclusion. Their
scores just unlock how they do what they
do, and why.

Playing to each
person's strengths
You make unconscious decisions based on
your M.O. every single day, and the success of
your practice depends on your understanding
and leveraging these unconscious decisions. I
can almost guarantee that you and your team
are spending hundreds of hours per month on
tasks that don't come naturally or are better
suited for someone with different strengths.
This isn't just a waste of natural potential-it's a money drain. For instance, I'm
a high Quick Start and a low Fact Finder,
which means I get excited about big ideas,
make decisions quickly and move on without
gathering tons of detailed information.
While this M.O. has allowed me to create
my company, reach seemingly "impossible"
goals and multitask among various projects,
it also means that I let details (such as
meetings and phone calls) slip through
the cracks. Once I saw my Kolbe score and
began to understand this fact, I made sure
that I hired people close to me whose Kolbe
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Orthotown August 2017
