We just finished a big week here at Kolbe Corp — the first ever Kolbe Strengths Week! So, what is Strengths Week? It was a chance for the entire Kolbe community to highlight the power of natural instincts around the world. Our staff and the dedicated team of Kolbe Certified™ Consultants donated their time, expertise, energy and resources to people and groups who would benefit from having their Kolbe Index results and information about how to apply those results to the things they care about most.
Here’s the thing — it was a huge success! With thousands of Kolbe A™ and Kolbe Y™ Indexes donated and hundreds of hours of consulting, people around the world were able to better understand themselves and the people around them.
So, what did we learn? A LOT! But, we’ll highlight just a few items right now.
If you work with your spouse and the family business is your livelihood, discovering your natural strengths and learning to apply them at home and at work could be one of the most consequential decisions you make. Likewise, a leader with a large group of people who just can’t seem to be productive can turn around a floundering organization by discovering the makeup of that team and how to make sure everybody is in the right seat.
Kolbe Consultants worked with groups of two people, and others worked with groups of 100 or more during Strengths Week. In both situations, natural strengths through Kolbe results had dozens of immediate applications, with more to come.
Throughout the years at Kolbe, we’ve heard story after story about how taking the Kolbe Index led people to make huge changes to their lives — new jobs, new relationships, new businesses, and more. These big moments happen all the time, but, some of the most powerful moments from Kolbe Strengths Week happened to come from the small ‘aha’ moments.
For example, one woman with a Facilitator Kolbe result realized why she was struggling so much when she worked from home. Her best problem solving comes from being the ultimate team member — interacting with her colleagues and jumping in wherever needed. That was hindered when she couldn’t physically be in the office. Now that remote working is becoming even more common, this woman has the power to speak up and say “I need to be in the office as much as possible,” and she’s armed with her Kolbe result as backup. A small ‘aha’ that will make a big difference in her life.
We also worked with a team at a local YMCA that has two leaders who are both strong Initiating Quick Starts and they lead a team of predominately CounterAct Quick Starts. Just seeing a spreadsheet of their team and realizing that they naturally shake things up — and cause their staff some stress — has given them much needed self-awareness. They don’t plan to make drastic changes immediately, but knowing their people better has already sparked a commitment to minimizing conflict and enabling their dedicated team to work without a ton of conative conflict. A small ‘aha’ that will help this team be more productive.
Kolbe Corp is a mission-driven company, but so are the people being helped with access to Kolbe Wisdom™. Whether it’s an animal shelter helping pets stay safe while their owners are in a state of transition, or if it’s an up-and-coming church, solving very real people problems serves as a powerful multiplier and reaches the people most at need. Understanding your natural strengths can also help advance your personal mission — whatever that may be.
There are so many more learnings from Kolbe Strengths Week, and we are excited to bring it back next year!
Tell us: What was your biggest learning from the week?3
