Tales of a Newly Certified Kolbe Consultant

Are you an assessment aficionado? Think you’ve tried them all? This week’s episode of Powered by Instinct is a helpful way to learn how Kolbe is different. 

Kolbe helps you understand the ways you naturally take action and interact with others. But unlike many assessments, Kolbe is particularly suitable for work environments and can be used at various stages, from hiring to alignment within an organization. That said, understanding your instinctive strengths is a game changer in every relationship, whether professional or personal. 

In this episode of Powered by Instinct, Elizabeth Cook, a Kolbe Certified™ Consultant and Founder of Elizabeth Cook Consulting, LLC, joins our host Eric Herrera to discuss her first encounter with Kolbe, what changed once she took it, how she decided to become a consultant, the process behind it, and how she uses Kolbe with her clients. Also, you’ll definitely want to stay tuned for her theory on parents having a “favorite” child. 

Host: Eric Herrera (5392)

Guest-at-a-Glance 

Name: Elizabeth Cook (8633)

What she does: Elizabeth is a career and leadership coach. 

Company: Elizabeth Cook Consulting, LLC 

Noteworthy: Elizabeth is also a Kolbe Certified™ Consultant. 

Where to find Elizabeth: LinkedIn

🎙️Kolbe enables you to look at things through other people's lenses, especially in the work environment, leading to better interpersonal relations, understanding, and collaboration. However, Kolbe also helps elevate personal relationships. Take Elizabeth as an example. She is the mother of three. Although her daughters are adults, two of them always felt that the third sister is their parents’ favorite. Elizabeth and her husband fought against that, but it was not until they all did the assessment that they understood that the daughter considered the favorite had a similar MO to her parents, as opposed to the other two sisters, which led to an unconscious bias. ''I suppose we were biased towards her approach because that made sense to us, for both of us. That's how we approached it, and that's how she did. So, of course, we were rational; it made sense. It seemed like she was moving in the right direction. Whereas the other two were more frustrated. So it helped me understand. That constantly comes up — even though now I've had that knowledge and have been working with it — that constantly comes up in conversations with them in terms of trying to guide them or when they're asking me for advice, to think about it through their lens and not my own.'' 

🎙️Even if you are successful in your current role, it doesn't mean you are happy doing it or consider it your calling. That's where instinctive strengths come into play, helping you see, acknowledge, and embrace your instincts. So, whether you stay in the same role or change it, you'll deliver better results, as you and the people around you will understand and encourage your MO. ''They have a chance to — especially with everything happening in the world of work right now — take a broader view of how they view their work. And what they want from their work is looking at this bigger picture of how I can thrive and contribute at my best and not dread it every day.'' 

🎙️Not all entrepreneurs have the same MO. So contrary to the common misconception or concerns among entrepreneurs who take Kolbe, one-size-fits-all doesn't exist. Again, Elizabeth is a great example. ''Sometimes people think that you have to initiate in Quick Start to be an entrepreneur, and that's not what I've seen at all. It's going to look different, for sure. It's not for me, the way you would build a business; my way would be different.''