In this episode of Noob School, I sit down with Amy Bruske, President of Kolbe Corp, to explore how understanding your instinctive strengths—what Kolbe calls your “doing” mind—can transform the way you lead, hire, and work. I share how discovering the Kolbe Index early in my career helped me stop blaming my team and start building the right one, ultimately playing a key role in scaling my business. We break down why success isn’t just about personality or intelligence, but how you naturally take action. From building a hiring “avatar” and matching people to roles, to recognizing different sales strengths and even reframing procrastination as a productive instinct, this conversation is packed with practical insights. Whether you’re leading a team or figuring out your career path, it’s about finding where you create the most value with the least friction—and giving yourself the freedom to be yourself.
Welcome back to Noob School! Today, I’m joined by a very special guest and a longtime friend of the show, Amy Brusky. Amy is the President of Kolbe Corp, and the work her company does is a huge reason reason I was able to grow a tiny company into a massive success.
Years ago, I was a young sales manager struggling to get my team to make cold calls. A consultant named Bill Lee introduced me to the Kolbe Index, and it completely changed my life. It taught me how to stop whining about my team’s performance and start hiring the right kind of people for the job.
In this episode, Amy and I dive deep into why understanding your "doing" mind—your instinctive strengths—is the secret to finding what her stepmother and Kolbe founder Kathy Kolbe called "the freedom to be yourself".
What we’re talking about in this episode:
The Three Parts of the Mind: Why your personality and intelligence only tell half the story, and why your instinctive way of taking action is the missing piece to your success.
Building Your Hiring Avatar: I share my personal "recipe" for hiring, from the local "beer test" to making sure their Kolbe numbers match the role before I even meet them.
Sales Strengths vs. Role Requirements: We discuss why some people are built for high-pressure cold calling while others, like a guy I once hired with high Factfinder numbers, are the only ones who can close a $25 million government deal that takes two years to finish.
Permission to "Procrastinate": If you’re like me and do your best work at the eleventh hour, Amy explains why that’s actually "active procrastination" and how to work with that energy instead of feeling guilty.
Career Wisdom for Your 20s: My advice to young professionals: stop trying to just "get a job" and start figuring out where you add the most value with the least amount of friction.
If you’re a leader trying to get your team right, or if you’re just starting out and want to find a career where the day "flies by," you don't want to miss this conversation.
Take the Kolbe A Index: kolbe.com
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