The Conative Connection : Acting on Instinct [Paperback]

Kathy Kolbe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1997

A critically acclaimed bestseller in hardcover, The Conative Connection introduces the rediscovery of "conation", the domain of the mind that dictat es how we act. Kolbe has developed a simple method to quantify an individual's approach to action, and she shows how to harness rather than work against innate and highly individual creative instincts.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Kolbe, a management consultant, has developed a method by which she is able to identify and categorize the conative (action) elements of individuals. Called the Kolbe Conative Index, it provides " . . . a new way of focusing creative energy, of dealing with change, and of predicting performance--of actually quantifying the probability of achievement in any particular endeavor." Her book discusses the index, the four basic action modes and their characteristics, and her theories regarding conation. Numerous examples of application in both individual and organizational settings are provided. Well written, this is broad enough in appeal to satisfy patrons interested in psychology and/or management books. Recommended for large libraries.
- Robert Logsdon, Indiana State Lib., Indianapolis.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

As a Quick Start/Follow Thru, Kathy Kolbe is a theorist with incredible energy. Her natural instinct to innovate has allowed her to create a successful company whose mission is to help people find the freedom to be themselves.

Fortune 500 corporations, small businesses, athletes, celebrities, and just plain folks around the world have all benefited from Kathy’s ground-breaking work on the power of natural human instincts.

After working on her toughest, and most rewarding task of raising two kids, Kathy began her professional career by working to improve elementary and high school education. This crusade included convincing school districts to begin teaching problem solving skills. It also included developing materials that thousands of teachers and schools used to instill these skills in kids, and inspired the kids to reach their intellectual potential. This was the beginning of the Kolbe Pure Instinct System, and it earned Kathy recognition in numerous magazines, television shows, and newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News and World Report, the ABC Nightly News, and USA Today. In the 1985 “Man of the Year” issue, Time magazine named Kathy Kolbe one of seven Americans who possess the spirit to inspire.

She then wrote her widely acclaimed best-seller, The Conative Connection, which explains her revolutionary theories on instincts and her statistically-proven methodology for building on individuals’ innate strength.

The techniques Kathy developed to identify people’s instinctive talents also proved their worth in the business world. Kathy and her company, Kolbe Corp, became leading consultants to businesses such as Hershey Foods, the Phoenix Suns basketball team, and IBM. Her alma mater is Northwestern University.

In each phase of her career, Kathy has focused on finding ways to help people find the freedom to be themselves and make the most of their god-given talents. Now, in addition to working with families and individuals, she is spending as much time as possible with her kids and grandkids.

Product Details

• Paperback: 218 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley (July 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201570955
• ISBN-13: 978-0201570953
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #185,721 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finding Your Right Livelihood, June 25, 2000

By 

G. straza "artofbodyexperience" (Key West, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Conative Connection : Acting on Instinct (Paperback)

If I had found this book sooner, it would have helped stop me from many years of lamenting "I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up". And it would have saved me many years of stress while attempting to fit my round peg into too many square holes.

The Conative Connection is based on a system to discover our action orientations which are our instinctual methods of 'acting' or performing tasks. The four basic 'action modes' are Fact Finder, Follow Thru, Implementor and Quick Start. There are three levels of performance for each Action Mode. People either insist on one or more of the modes, resist or accommodate.

Facilitators are fairly equal in their use of all the action modes. Though some who seem to be this way have actually forced themselves for so long to fit and meet all expectations that they are 'in crises' and no longer recall what their less stressful original orientations were. It seemed to me that any job I had ever had expected everyone to be the same and to be facilitators, therefore creating a lot more stress and burnout than necessary.

What I discovered about myself from reading this book confirmed some insights I had had in high school from which I had strayed. More than "What Color is Your Parachute", this book helped me to get more on track and find a job that was less stressful and more satisfying. The Conative Connection even surpasses the useful "know yourself" information I discovered in "Please Understand Me"(a wonderful book on the Myers/Briggs type and temperament personality test administered by some companies).

As Marshall McLuhan said, "Education is a process of shutting off our talents". Now we have the tool to turn them back on.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Answering the crucial questions, February 28, 2001

By 

Sheila "sheila1242" (Northbrook, Israel) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Conative Connection : Acting on Instinct (Paperback)

Most of us know at least one enormously talented person who seems to be adrift, not accomplishing much. And we know someone else with what would appear to be far fewer "gifts" who is nevetheless a definite winner. Why? Why would a top salesman bungle the job of sales manager? Or the effective manager stumble when she goes into business for herself? Why are so many people suffering from job stress? Those are all good questions--and Kathy has answers for them. Better yet, she can show readers how to sidestep the pitfalls on their way to achievement and job satisfaction. And she can help parents understand why a child who can't wait to go to school in the primary grades comes home bored and/or frustrated in middle school. If you've ever been curious about any of these issues, read this book. It will change the way you look at yourself and the people around you.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A revolutionary way of understanding what makes you tick., April 24, 2001

By 

Authors Andrew Dornenburg & Karen Page - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Conative Connection : Acting on Instinct (Paperback)

Kathy Kolbe's penetrating insights into our conative (or instinctual) dimension are nothing less than revolutionary. It would be hard to make a better investment in understanding yourself than to buy this book ... Doing both (which led to my learning my MO as a Quick Start / Fact Finder) confirmed and clarified my gut-level instincts about my own talents, and provided direction for leveraging my strengths while pointing out how not to get blind-sided by my weaknesses! --Karen Page