Some people aren’t naturally spontaneous.
And that can feel like a weakness sometimes.
But show us a person who isn’t naturally spontaneous, and we’ll show you someone with several other strengths.
And, while they may instinctively take a different approach than someone who is naturally spontaneous, the results can be just as magical.
The thing you need to know is there are three parts of the mind, which are cognitive (thinking), affective (feeling), and conative (doing). The conative part of the mind is all too often overlooked, but it focuses on natural, instinctive ways of taking action and creative problem-solving.
The Kolbe A™ measures your conative strengths across 4 Action Modes®:
Where your strengths fall in these Action Modes dictates how you naturally approach taking an action. Which means while some people will naturally innovate, others will instinctively stabilize. While some need to develop a plan and a system, others need to adapt and vary their approach.
Raymond is an elementary school teacher who has a plan for everything. And that has allowed him to be the rock for his students and his family.
But when he has to go off-book, things don’t run as smoothly. Someone once handed him lesson plans, and he bombed the lesson. But when he creates his own lesson plans, he’s a completely different person, and a much more effective teacher.
Raymond quietly wondered for years that his lack of spontaneity has been holding him back. That it’s a weakness he has to overcome.
But David Kolbe, CEO of Kolbe Corp and the co-author of Do More, More Naturally, developed a more nuanced perspective through decades of studying conation. Raymond’s lack of spontaneity isn’t a weakness. It’s just who he is.
Raymond has a 7-8-2-4 Kolbe A Index result, and he learned more about those strengths on the Powered by Instinct: Private Sessions podcast.
On the podcast, David explained that Raymond’s Natural Advantage™ is Master of Planning.
That means Raymond initiates by creating a plan and building systems. He also has a 7 in Fact Finder, which means after developing a plan, he looks to get specifics, ask questions, and research.
This came into play recently when Raymond decided to change which school he teaches at.
“You’ll think about it and typically, before you even do the research, you’ll think a few steps ahead,” David explained. “You’ll think about, ‘Okay, what might this look like? What would I need to get there?’ And then it’s, “Okay I’m motivated. In this case, shorter commute, more time with family. Now let’s map that out, and then you typically go to the next stage, which is, okay, now that I have a plan for how I want this to happen over the next year or two, now let’s do the research.”
“What are the schools closer to home? What kind of school is it? So for you, it wouldn’t be just a matter of I’ll take any old job. It would be, I want to know about the curriculum. I want to know about the people I’d be working with. Is it team teaching? You’d want all those answers before you even submitted an application, whereas other people would be like, ‘Yep, I’m gonna make this move. Let’s start applying. I’ll figure it out later.’”
“That’s definitely something that speaks to me,” added Raymond. “If I’m going to jump into something, I’m going to research it before I dive in, because that helps me actually make my plan.”
So, Raymond is not naturally spontaneous. And that’s fine.
But that doesn’t mean he can’t use his strengths to create the same positive results.
David offered some advice Raymond could use to create the illusion of spontaneity for the loved ones in his life, should they need it.
“Here’s my recommendation for you,” he offered. “Use your strengths to say, ‘I’m going to plan for spontaneity.’ Now, that might sound stupid, but there are ways to do it for a spouse that are really effective. You don’t tell her you’re planning for it. Say it’s summer. You’ve got time off, and you’ll be able to take a vacation. Plan some stuff out, but you don’t tell her, and then spring it on her more last-minute. You’ve already planned it out. You’ve done the homework. But to her, it’s last-minute.”
Raymond’s daughter naturally needs spontaneity, and David had advice there too.
“In that role as a parent, it’s easier for her not to know that it’s planned out and you’ve done your homework. Plan out three things, and then give her three options, she gets to pick, and it’s something she’s never tried before, and that’s awesome for her, because she’s wired that way.”
To understand your instinctive strengths and get immediately actionable advice tailored to your needs, make sure to get your Kolbe A result too!
