For many of us, the current pandemic has dramatically shifted the way we operate our business, interact with our team members, and support our clients. Many routines of the past simply are not feasible today.
Professionals and business owners who can successfully manage these changes are those who draw on talents rooted in their natural abilities and style. They know what works and what doesn’t work for them. They understand themselves, and therefore how to work best with their team, partners and clients. This helps them to continue to be productive and successful in their business.
Our individual strengths and style are often referred to as our natural method of operation, or MO. It has to do with the part of the mind that governs the way we approach productivity and take action.
Keep reading to find out which part!
Three parts of the mind
Beginning with Aristotle and Plato, philosophers and psychologists have agreed that there are three parts of the human mind:
1. Cognitive
The cognitive part of the mind is about coming to know and understand. It’s about knowledge, dealing with the question of “what”… what happened, what is going on now, and what is the meaning of that information. It’s generally considered to define your “intelligence.”
2. Affective
The affective part of the mind is about using emotion, how you interpret and feel about the knowledge and information you receive. It’s about how you react to circumstances.
3. Conative
The conative part of your mind connects knowledge and emotion to behaviour. It’s associated with the “why.” It helps you determine your goals and intentions, your specific plans and commitments. This is critical to optimum self-direction and self-regulation. According to Kathy Kolbe, creator of the Kolbe™ Index, the “conative mind” defines your natural method of operation (MO).
Four Action Modes®
While the existence of conation has been discussed by philosophers through the centuries, Kathy Kolbe was the first to identify its key attributes and how to measure them.
She broke it down to four action modes. Her key insight was that everyone has a strength in how they operate in each of these Action Modes. Each person’s method of operation, or “MO,” is their strength in that area.
Fact Finder
The instinctive need to probe and the way we gather and share information.
Behaviour can include gathering detailed information, documenting strategies, and/or simplifying and clarifying options.
Follow Thru
The instinctive need to pattern and the way we organize and design.
Behaviour ranges from being systematic and structured to being adaptable and flexible. This Action Mode deals with structure and order and provides focus and continuity.
Quick Start
The instinctive need to improvise and the way we deal with risk and uncertainty.
Behaviour ranges from driving change and innovation to stabilizing and preventing chaos. This Action Mode deals with originality and risk taking, and provides intuition and a sense of vision.
Implementor
The instinctive need to demonstrate and the way we handle space and tangibles.
Behaviour ranges from making things more concrete by building solutions to being more abstract by imagining a solution. This Action Mode deals with physical space and provides durability and a sense of the tangible.
Knowing your strengths in each of these areas enables you to understand your unique MO, as well as the MO of the people you work with most closely. Putting your MO to work effectively is the key to building resilience and successfully managing your business in a fast-changing world.
What is YOUR MO?
As a strategic marketer, Impagination Inc. uses the Kolbe™ Index to help our clients find their natural style, their modus operandi (MO). With a simple assessment, we help them own their unique way of offering value to their clients (UVP) and leverage the natural strengths of their whole team for ease in business development. Now that’s marketing gold!
Book a complimentary with us to find out more. We are set-up for online booking for your personal 60-minute deep-dive consultation which includes your Kolbe™ A Index.
Recent clients shared
“My Kolbe™ deep-dive with Laural gave me a better understanding of my strengths. I’ll be able to have better conversations by understanding why I do things the way I do.” James Berry, VP IA, TD Wealth Private Investment Advice
“Laural’s deep-dive session showed me how applicable Kolbe™ is in every facet of my life from parenting to work. It gave me a new understanding of how to use my time and energy.” Rebecca Greco, CEO of Fig House Communications
“Knowing my Kolbe™ will help me talk to my people.” Brennan Wood, Partner, Foundry Mortgage Capital
Give YOUR MO a go!
Interested in Kolbe? Check out our recent blog post!
