How do you use Kolbe A scores in leader-to-leader use guides to assign and execute EOS Quarterly Rocks?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When EOS leadership teams establish 90-day Rocks, projects often stall not from lack of effort, but because the assignment conflicts with a leader's conative energy. A leader-to-leader use guide bridges this gap by mapping Kolbe A action modes to specific Rock milestones.

For example, an Integrator assigning a process overhaul Rock to a seat holder should first check their Kolbe Fact Finder and Follow Through scores. A leader with an Initiating Fact Finder (7-10) will instinctively spend weeks gathering data and evaluating corner cases. If the milestone requires immediate, rough deployment, an Integrator who initiates Quick Start will interpret this thoroughness as foot-dragging.

A dynamic leader-to-leader use guide prevents this friction by setting mutual operating agreements upfront:

• Fact Finder Adjustments: Clarify how much research constitutes 'done' before drafting the Rock summary. Agree that an 80 percent complete draft delivered in week three is preferred over an exhaustive report delivered in week nine.
• Follow Through Adjustments: Leaders with low Follow Through naturally work in bursts and resist rigid sequences. The use guide directs the Integrator to track deliverables via outcome-focused checkpoints rather than demanding weekly step-by-step checklists.
• Quick Start Realities: When visionary leaders take on strategic growth Rocks, high Quick Start scores mean they will generate ideas mid-quarter that jeopardize the original scope. The guide creates a protocol where new innovations go to the V/I Same Page meeting before entering the active Rock stream.

By documenting these conative operating rules, leaders maintain high accountability without forcing peers into unnatural working styles that breed resentment.