One of the partners at a successful East Coast law firm—we’ll call her Veronica—had built her career the way many professionals do: by following the path of someone she admired.
That someone was Jim, the firm’s chairman. He moved fast, embraced risk, and had a reputation for generating big business. The firm even incentivized that model—partners were rewarded for originating work, and Jim had become the archetype of what success was supposed to look like.
So Veronica tried to follow his lead.
For years.
But it never felt right. And it was taking a toll.
Everything shifted when the firm brought in Kolbe Certified™ Consultants Susan Spritz Myers and Whitney Capps to facilitate a leadership retreat.
Jim had already taken the Kolbe A™ Index—a tool that measures how people naturally take action—and it had made a major impact.
“He thought the other stuff was interesting,” said Spritz Myers on the Powered by Instinct podcast. “But the Kolbe information was life-changing for him.”
Jim’s Kolbe result was 3393, which reflects a natural instinct to innovate quickly and take action even in the face of uncertainty.
When Veronica took the Kolbe A Index herself, her result was 7733—a completely different pattern of strengths. She led through structure, depth, and thoughtful execution. Not quick leaps into the unknown.
Veronica had spent years modeling herself after Jim, the firm’s top rainmaker. He moved fast, improvised easily, and was wired for bold, rapid action. But when she received her Kolbe A™ Index result—7733—it became clear just how different her natural strengths were.
“She was mentored by Jim,” said Capps. “He was the big rainmaker in the firm. It was so easy for her to look at him and say, ‘Well, that’s how I’ve got to be.’”
The problem? She wasn’t built like Jim. While he thrived in constant motion, Veronica was wired for structure, research, and thoughtful execution. Trying to operate like him wasn’t just hard—it was draining.
“There’s a very distinct difference in who she’s trying to be and who she naturally is,” Capps explained.
The firm wasn’t just rewarding a certain type of success—they were subtly encouraging everyone to adopt instincts that didn’t fit.
Spritz Myers and Capps looked at data across the firm and found:
But their Kolbe B™ results—how they perceived the expectations of their roles—showed many were trying to suppress those strengths and emulate Jim’s fast-paced approach. It wasn’t just ineffective. It was exhausting.
“That was really interesting,” Spritz Myers said. “They’re pushing their Quick Start and trying to pull back on their Follow Thru. And looking at those two charts together has brought up a lot of conversations.”
With this new clarity, Veronica didn’t have to change her goals—just how she pursued them.
“She started thinking differently about the practice she was building,” said Capps. “Instead of trying to be the hunter, she leaned into being the farmer.”
She focused on nurturing long-term client relationships, earning referrals, and developing deep expertise. Her pace didn’t look like Jim’s—but it worked.
To make that shift sustainable, she built a working partnership with a sharp associate whose instincts filled in the gaps—handling the quick-turn tasks that used to derail her focus.
Katie, a promising associate with a 7472 MO, had joined Veronica’s group as part of a mentoring pod.
“What we noticed is that her MO supported both Veronica and Jim,” said Capps.
Katie’s different strength in Follow Thru and stronger drive in Quick Start made her the perfect person to jump in, handle unstructured tasks, and keep things moving—without needing every detail upfront.
“Veronica hadn’t typically had a right-hand person,” Capps explained. “But Katie was probably the perfect partner to come in and support her.”
This gave Veronica space to focus on strategic work—the kind of work that energizes her.
“They are such a wonderful fit together,” Capps said. “It really helps [Veronica] stay in her sweet spot and do the things she is really driven to do and enjoys doing.”
The change wasn’t about lowering expectations. It was about aligning strengths.
“I wouldn’t say we were shifting her responsibilities,” said Capps. “She just thought differently about the structure of the practice she was building. She went from thinking she had to go be the hunter to saying, ‘Actually, I can build strong relationships and grow a practice that reflects who I really am.’”
And she’s still bringing in big clients—just in a way that works for her.
As Capps noted in the podcast, they helped Veronica see how she could build a practice very different from Jim’s—one that reflected her own instinctive strengths and goals.
Veronica’s story is proof of what can happen when leaders stop trying to copy someone else’s strengths and start honoring their own.
That’s the essence of doing more, more naturally. And it all starts with:
As Capps explained on the podcast, their coaching didn’t stop with awareness—it focused on using conation to improve partnerships, career growth, and decision-making that feels easeful and sustainable.
