Trust Expectations: The Hidden Dynamic Shaping Your Team

In the landscape of professional assessments, personality tests have dominated for decades. However, a different type of assessment—the conative test—offers unique insights that traditional personality assessments can't capture. These tests measure not who we are (personality) or what we know (cognitive), but how we naturally take action when faced with problems to solve.

Typing "conative" into your device will cause it to get red squiggly-lined, and maybe even autocorrected to "cognitive." But trust us, it’s a real word. 

What is Conation and What Do Conative Tests Measure?

Conation comes from the Latin word "conatus," meaning "effort" or "striving." It represents our innate drive to act and solve problems—the natural, hardwired tendencies that influence how we approach tasks, make decisions, and interact with our environment.

While personality tests measure adaptable behaviors and preferences shaped by experience, conative tests measure more stable, innate drives that have typically been consistent since our teenage years. These drives represent how we are hardwired to work when free from external pressures.

Conative tests measure attributes such as:

• Natural pace and approach to tasks
• Innate tendencies toward structure versus flexibility
• Drive for precision and detail
• Motivation to influence outcomes or lead
• Need for social interaction versus independent work
• Adaptability to change versus preference for consistency

Benefits of Measuring Conative Traits

Understanding conative traits offers several advantages over solely relying on personality assessments:

1. Greater Stability Over Time

Conative traits tend to remain more consistent throughout adulthood, while personality can shift significantly based on environment, roles, and experiences. This stability makes conative assessments particularly valuable for long-term career planning and development.

2. Prediction of Natural Performance

Conative assessments help predict how someone will naturally perform in various environments. When someone's conative drives align with their role requirements, they often experience:

• Reduced stress and burnout
• Higher job satisfaction
• Better performance with less effort
• Longer tenure in roles

3. Insight Into Team Dynamics

Understanding the conative drives of team members reveals natural strengths and potential friction points, allowing leaders to:

• Optimize task allocation based on innate strengths
• Improve communication by acknowledging different working styles
• Create more balanced teams with complementary drives
• Reduce unnecessary conflict stemming from different approaches

Popular Conative Assessments in the Market

Kolbe A™ Index

One of the pioneers in conative assessment, the Kolbe A™ Index measures four "Action Modes":

• Fact Finder: How we gather and share information
• Follow Thru: How we organize and arrange
• Quick Start: How we deal with risk and uncertainty
• Implementor: How we handle space and tangibles

The Kolbe uses a 1-10 scale for each mode and focuses exclusively on these conative elements without mixing in personality factors.

Predictive Index

While Predictive Index doesn't specifically label itself a conative assessment, it measures what they call "drives" and needs through a two-list methodology. These drives—Dominance, Extraversion, Patience, and Formality—share similarities with conative factors, though they represent a blend of motivational and behavioral elements rather than pure conative traits.

Aptive Index: A Hybrid Approach to Assessment

Aptive Index represents a next-generation approach that combines elements of both conative and adaptive measurement, designed specifically for today's workplace challenges. The name itself—a blend of "adaptable" and "conative"—reflects this hybrid nature, measuring both hardwired drives and how these express themselves in workplace contexts.

Scientific Foundation

Aptive Index measures eight key attributes that research shows directly impact job performance and satisfaction:

Primary Attributes (ISCP)

• Influence: Drive to impact people, events, and outcomes
• Sociability: Drive for and energy gained from social interaction
• Consistency: Drive for stability, routine, and methodical approaches
• Precision: Drive for accuracy, adherence to rules, and attention to detail

Standalone Attributes

• Emotional Resonance: Ability to deeply connect with emotions
• Prosocial: Drive to support others and contribute to collective wellbeing
• Intensity: Natural pace and sense of urgency when approaching tasks
• Abstraction: Capacity for abstract thought and innovative problem-solving

The inclusion of Intensity as a distinct attribute is particularly valuable, as it measures a person's natural pace and sense of urgency independent from their preference for structure (Consistency) or detail (Precision). This distinction helps explain why some individuals can be simultaneously methodical yet quick-moving, or flexible yet deliberate in their pace.

User Experience Advantages

Designed for practical application in modern organizations, Aptive Index offers:

• Mobile-first platform design for easy access
• 8-minute average completion time versus 60+ minutes for many competitors
• Clear, actionable insights without requiring extensive interpretation
• Modern user interface following contemporary UX principles

Practical Implementation

Rather than purely theoretical insights, Aptive Index provides practical applications for:

• Hiring and selection decisions
• Team composition analysis
• Leadership development
• Conflict resolution
• Communication optimization

The Reality of Conative Assessments: Transparency Matters

While conative tests provide valuable insights, it's important to understand their limitations and proper context:

Stability vs. Rigidity

Conative traits are relatively stable but not completely static. They can shift subtly over time or in response to significant life events. The key distinction is that these shifts are typically:

• Gradual rather than sudden
• Limited in magnitude
• Often temporary during extreme circumstances

For example, someone might show slightly different conative patterns during major life transitions or periods of high stress, but their core tendencies generally remain recognizable.

Accuracy Trade-Offs

Shorter, more accessible assessments like Aptive Index prioritize practical usability and adoption. This creates inevitable trade-offs:

1. Depth vs. Accessibility: More comprehensive assessments may provide deeper insights but require significantly more time and expertise to administer and interpret.
   
   
2. Specificity vs. Applicability: Highly detailed assessments might capture nuanced variations but can become impractical for organizational use.
   
   
3. Theoretical Purity vs. Practical Value: Some assessments maintain strict theoretical boundaries between conative, cognitive, and affective domains, while others like Aptive Index intentionally incorporate elements that have proven practical value for workplace applications.
   
   

Complementary, Not Comprehensive

Conative assessments should be viewed as one valuable tool in a broader toolkit for understanding human potential and performance, not as a complete solution. They work best when combined with:

• Skill and experience evaluation
• Cultural fit assessment
• Interviews and reference checks
• Performance data

Conclusion: The Future of Conative Assessment

As work environments become increasingly complex and dynamic, understanding conative drives becomes even more valuable. Modern assessments like Aptive Index reflect this evolution, combining scientific rigor with practical usability.

The most effective organizations recognize that conative assessment isn't about fitting people into rigid categories but about creating environments where everyone can contribute through their natural strengths while developing strategies to address areas of potential challenge.

By understanding the stable yet nuanced nature of conative drives, organizations can build more effective teams, reduce unnecessary friction, and create the conditions for both individual fulfillment and collective success.

Looking to explore how conative assessment could benefit your organization? Learn more about Aptive Index's modern, mobile-friendly approach to measuring innate drives and optimizing team performance at aptiveindex.com.

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The Universal Pattern of Learning

Every skill we master follows the same four-stage pattern. Understanding these stages doesn't just help us learn – it helps us become better teachers and leaders. Let's break it down:

Stage 1: Unconsciously Incompetent

This is where we start: completely unaware of what we don't know. My son watching me drive from the passenger seat thinks it looks easy. Just like I once thought leadership was simply about telling people what to do. In this stage, we don't even know enough to be nervous.

What it sounds like:

• "How hard can it be?"
• "I've watched others do this plenty of times"
• "It's just common sense, right?"

Stage 2: Consciously Incompetent

‍Reality hits. For my son, it's the moment he first sits behind the wheel and realizes he needs to simultaneously:

• Watch all mirrors
• Control the pedals
• Stay in lane
• Monitor speed
• Watch for hazards
• Follow traffic rules

Suddenly, what looked simple becomes overwhelming. This is exactly how I felt in my first leadership role. The sheer number of things to track, decisions to make, and relationships to manage felt paralyzing.

‍This is where most people quit. The gap between where they are and where they need to be feels too vast. The awareness of everything they don't know becomes overwhelming.

Stage 3: Consciously Competent

‍This is the practice phase. Every action requires intense focus and deliberate thought. New drivers white-knuckle the steering wheel, mentally checking every mirror, hyper-aware of every move. New leaders similarly overthink every interaction, decision, and meeting.But here's the good news: with enough practice, patterns emerge. Confidence builds. What once required intense concentration starts to flow more naturally.

Stage 4: Unconsciously Competent

‍Finally, mastery (auto-pilot)! Experienced drivers navigate complex situations without conscious thought. Their mind is free to focus on higher-level decisions because the basics have become automatic.Great leaders reach this same state. They can seamlessly shift from strategic planning to team development to crisis management, all while making it look effortless. But remember – it only looks effortless because of the thousands of hours of practice that came before.And also remember – never stop learning. Don’t assume you’ve got it figured out. 

Breaking Through the Barrier

‍Remember that critical second stage where most people quit? Here's how to push through:

1. Normalize the Overwhelm
   
   • Recognize that feeling overwhelmed is a sign of growth
   • Understand that everyone goes through this phase
   • Use it as a signal that you're actually learning
2. Chunk It Down
   
   • Break the skill into smaller, manageable pieces
   • Focus on mastering one element at a time
   • Celebrate small wins along the way
3. Find a Guide
   
   • Learn from those who've already mastered the skill
   • Seek feedback from experienced mentors
   • Use structured learning programs to fast-track progress

The Leadership Connection

‍Leadership development follows this exact pattern. New leaders often move from:

• Thinking leadership is simple (Stage 1)
• Becoming overwhelmed by its complexity (Stage 2)
• Deliberately practicing new skills (Stage 3)
• Finally leading naturally and effectively (Stage 4)

The key is recognizing where you are in the journey and not getting discouraged in that critical second stage. Remember: feeling overwhelmed isn't a sign that you're failing – it's a sign that you're growing.

Moving Forward

‍Whether you're learning to drive, lead, or master any new skill, understanding these four stages helps you:

• Recognize where you are in the learning journey
• Stay motivated during the challenging phases
• Support others through their own development
• Build more effective learning environments

The path from unconscious incompetence to unconscious competence isn't easy, but it is predictable. And with the right understanding, support, and persistence, it's absolutely achievable.

Every business leader knows that people are their greatest asset—and often, their greatest expense. But what's less understood is the real financial impact of hiring mistakes, misaligned teams, and underutilized talent.

The organizations thriving today aren't just hiring differently—they're thinking differently about what predicts success. They've moved beyond gut feelings and resume scanning to make people decisions based on data, science, and proven insights about human behavior.

Here's why this shift matters more than ever.

The Hidden Costs of Traditional Hiring

According to SHRM, the average cost of a bad hire is 30% of that employee's annual salary. For a $100,000 role, that's $30,000 in direct costs—before factoring in team disruption, lost productivity, or missed opportunities.

But the real expense isn't just the obvious failures. It's the slow drain of:

• Talented people in misaligned roles who underperform despite their capabilities
• Teams that struggle to collaborate because they don't understand each other's working styles
• High-potential employees who leave because they were never in the right fit to begin with
• Projects that stall because you have smart people working against their natural strengths

These costs compound daily, whether you measure them or not.

The Science of Better Decisions

Modern psychometric science reveals something counterintuitive: skills and experience are poor predictors of long-term success. What matters more are the hardwired drives that determine how someone approaches work, processes information, and interacts with others.

These innate attributes—things like the need for influence, preference for social interaction, drive for consistency, or attention to precision—remain stable throughout someone's career. They're the invisible forces that determine whether someone will thrive in a role or merely survive it.

Organizations using attribute-based hiring are seeing:

• 40% reduction in turnover through better role alignment
• 3x productivity improvement when people work in roles that match their natural drives
• 67% increase in employee engagement with proper role and culture fit

The data is clear: when you align people's hardwiring with role requirements, everyone wins.

Beyond Hiring: The Multiplying Effect

While better hiring matters, the real transformation happens after people join your team. When you understand how your people are naturally wired, you can:

Optimize Team Dynamics: Teams that understand each other's working styles collaborate more efficiently, turning potential friction into productive collaboration.

Accelerate Development: Instead of generic training programs, you can provide targeted development that builds on natural strengths while addressing specific growth areas.

Improve Leadership Effectiveness: Leaders who understand their team members' drives can adapt their management style, creating environments where people naturally excel.

Reduce Turnover: People stay longer when they're in roles that energize rather than drain them.

The performance gap between aligned and misaligned teams often determines whether organizations hit their goals or miss them entirely.

The Questions Smart Leaders Are Asking

Progressive organizations aren't asking "How much does better hiring cost?" They're asking:

• How much is team misalignment costing us in missed opportunities?
• How many talented people have we lost because they were in roles that didn't fit their natural drives?
• What would 10% better execution across our teams be worth to our bottom line?
• How do we build competitive advantage through our people, not just our products?

These leaders understand that in today's environment, every hire matters. Every team must deliver. Every investment must drive measurable impact.

The Technology That Makes It Possible

Modern assessment platforms combine rigorous science with practical application. The best solutions provide:

• Scientifically Validated Measures: Using factor analysis and statistical validation to ensure reliability
• Role-Specific Targeting: Matching candidates to the specific behavioral requirements of each position
• Team Optimization Tools: Understanding how different drives interact and complement each other
• AI-Powered Insights: Translating complex data into actionable guidance for leaders

This isn't about adding complexity—it's about adding clarity to the most important decisions you make.

The Competitive Advantage in Plain Sight

You wouldn't manage finances without dashboards. You wouldn't make strategic decisions without data. Yet many organizations still manage their most important asset—their people—based on intuition and hope.

The competitive advantage goes to organizations that understand this shift and act on it. When you know how your people are wired, you can design roles, teams, and cultures that bring out their best work.

That's not just good for employees—it's transformational for business results.

Making the Investment Decision

The mathematics are straightforward:

• Avoid one mis-hire: Investment positive
• Retain one key employee longer: Investment positive
• Help one team execute 10% more effectively: Investment positive

But the real value compounds over time. Better hiring leads to better teams. Better teams deliver better results. Better results create sustainable competitive advantage.

The Future of Work Is Data-Driven

Smart leaders recognize that the future belongs to organizations that make people decisions based on science, not assumptions. They're investing in tools and approaches that help them:

• Hire for potential, not just past performance
• Build teams with complementary strengths
• Develop people based on their natural drives
• Create cultures where everyone can thrive

This isn't about following trends—it's about building sustainable competitive advantage through your greatest asset: your people.

For leaders who are serious about scaling with intention and building consistently high-performing teams, understanding what drives human behavior has moved from "nice to have" to "essential for success."

The question isn't whether this approach works—the data proves it does. The question is whether you'll be among the leaders who embrace it early or those who catch up later.

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