The Hidden Science of Building Unstoppable Teams
Wed Jan 21 2026
What if the person who irritates you most is exactly who you need on your team?
In this eye-opening conversation, host Eric Herrera sits down with Marit Peters, President of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas and recent winner of the Kolbe Professional Award for Individual Leadership in Building Conative Excellence. With over 20 years of experience transforming teams across industries—from aviation startups to medical laboratories to insurance agencies—Marit reveals how she uses Kolbe to predict team success with startling accuracy.
Discover why diversity of strengths matters more than you think, learn the "silent brainstorming" technique that ensures every team member contributes, and find out why Marit refuses to work with clients who won't embrace this approach. Whether you're building a startup from scratch, stuck in unproductive meetings, or wondering why your team can't finish projects, this episode will change how you hire, coach, and collaborate forever.
Host: Eric Herrera, VP of Growth and Strategic Alliances @ Kolbe Corp (Kolbe: 5-3-9-2)
Guest-at-a-Glance
💡Name: Marit Peters, President & Executive Director of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) (5-3-9-2)
💡What she does: Marit has spent more than 20 years helping organizations go from stuck to thriving. In addition to being the President and Executive Director of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas, she is also the CEO of Catalyit.
💡Company: Independent Insurance Agents of Texas
💡Website: https://www.iiat.org/
Jaw-Dropping Moments
Marit reveals a time when team dynamics were so polarized that continuing the project was impossible—and how the assessment predicted it before they even started. How understanding cognitive differences saved a family business relationship where the CFO sister was constantly frustrated by her CEO brother's "endless questions." A company that started with 10-12 people and grew to over 75 employees in just 5 years by strategically hiring based on conative diversity from day one. The moment when someone with a 7-7-3-3 profile admitted they hated working with others who had the exact same profile—proving that matching styles doesn't guarantee compatibility.
Key Quotes from Marit Peters
"Kolbe is kind of like oxygen. If I don't know somebody's Kolbe, I don't really know how to interact with them. I feel like I'm doing them a disservice by coaching."
"We hear about diversity all the time, but for me, diversity is about how we think and how we problem solve."
"If you want things to maintain status quo, don't hire me. I'm not the right fit. If you want somebody to come in and blow things up and look totally different and challenge things and take risks, I'm your person."
"It's fun when you go into an organization and you inventory the team and you find out, wow, we could tap into this talent, and you're not even using it."
***
Find the freedom to be yourself by taking the Kolbe A™ Index or Kolbe Y™ Index for the youth in your life. Many successful companies work directly with a Kolbe Certified™ Consultant — find one in your area.
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What if the person who irritates you most is exactly who you need on your team? In this eye-opening conversation, host Eric Herrera sits down with Marit Peters, President of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas and recent winner of the Kolbe Professional Award for Individual Leadership in Building Conative Excellence. With over 20 years of experience transforming teams across industries—from aviation startups to medical laboratories to insurance agencies—Marit reveals how she uses Kolbe to predict team success with startling accuracy. Discover why diversity of strengths matters more than you think, learn the "silent brainstorming" technique that ensures every team member contributes, and find out why Marit refuses to work with clients who won't embrace this approach. Whether you're building a startup from scratch, stuck in unproductive meetings, or wondering why your team can't finish projects, this episode will change how you hire, coach, and collaborate forever. Host: Eric Herrera, VP of Growth and Strategic Alliances @ Kolbe Corp (Kolbe: 5-3-9-2) Guest-at-a-Glance 💡Name: Marit Peters, President & Executive Director of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) (5-3-9-2) 💡What she does: Marit has spent more than 20 years helping organizations go from stuck to thriving. In addition to being the President and Executive Director of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas, she is also the CEO of Catalyit. 💡Company: Independent Insurance Agents of Texas 💡Website: https://www.iiat.org/ Jaw-Dropping Moments Marit reveals a time when team dynamics were so polarized that continuing the project was impossible—and how the assessment predicted it before they even started. How understanding cognitive differences saved a family business relationship where the CFO sister was constantly frustrated by her CEO brother's "endless questions." A company that started with 10-12 people and grew to over 75 employees in just 5 years by strategically hiring based on conative diversity from day one. The moment when someone with a 7-7-3-3 profile admitted they hated working with others who had the exact same profile—proving that matching styles doesn't guarantee compatibility. Key Quotes from Marit Peters "Kolbe is kind of like oxygen. If I don't know somebody's Kolbe, I don't really know how to interact with them. I feel like I'm doing them a disservice by coaching." "We hear about diversity all the time, but for me, diversity is about how we think and how we problem solve." "If you want things to maintain status quo, don't hire me. I'm not the right fit. If you want somebody to come in and blow things up and look totally different and challenge things and take risks, I'm your person." "It's fun when you go into an organization and you inventory the team and you find out, wow, we could tap into this talent, and you're not even using it." *** Find the freedom to be yourself by taking the Kolbe A™ Index or Kolbe Y™ Index for the youth in your life. Many successful companies work directly with a Kolbe Certified™ Consultant — find one in your area.