The 6 Types of Working Genius

We all have Geniuses; those special capabilities that come so naturally to us.  When we do work within our Genius, we are in "the zone."  Time flies by without us even noticing.

The Working Genius is Patrick Lencioni's newest teamwork model, which helps people understand how they can contribute to work most effectively.   The assessment identifies our areas of Genius, areas of competency, and areas of frustration.  This tool can help individuals, leaders and teams better leverage one another's strengths and understand how to be both productive and fulfilled at work.  

There are six different Geniuses.

• Wonder - People with the Genius of Wonder love to speculate and question.  They question the way things are and love to sit in the ambiguity and imagine the possibilities.
• Invention - People with the Genius of Invention get joy from taking ideas and brainstorming solutions.  They enjoy innovating from scratch and love a blank whiteboard upon which to create.
• Discernment - People with the Genius of Discernment have a natural ability to evaluate the workability of ideas.  They are good curators of what's going on around them and can recognize patterns.  They know how to connect the dots and give people good feedback across a broad range of topics.
• Galvanizing - People with the Genius of Galvanizing love to get things moving.  They are great at pushing people out of their comfort zones and inspiring them to get started.
• Enablement - People with the Genius of Enablement are the ones who make things happen.  They know how to help, when to help, and can flex to what needs to happen.  People with the Genius of Enablement are people-oriented and want to help realize a vision.
• Tenacity - People with the Genius of Tenacity are task-oriented and love to take things across the finish line.  They ensure it's going to have the impact it's supposed to have and lives up to agreed-upon standards.  It's important to them to see the work completed.  They get joy and energy from checking off a box on the 'to do" list.

All 6 Geniuses are needed to get work done.  If you skip over any one of them, your results will suffer.  No one Genius is more important than another.  

When we don't understand our, and others', Geniuses, guilt, judgment and conflict will result.

As a Certified Working Genius Facilitator, I can help you transform work by helping your team:

• Understand why they have been successful or unsuccessful in past endeavors.
• Clarify which types of work give joy and energy and which types are draining and difficult.
• Avoid making unfair and inaccurate judgments about one another's motivation.
• Alleviate guilt about struggles people have with certain types of work.
• Improve dialogue and directives in team meetings.
• Make quick and concrete adjustments to roles and responsibilities to better tap into one another's strengths, and avoid one another's weaknesses.
• Get more done in less time!

Contact us today to learn more about the Working Genius Assessment and Workshop to help your team be happier and more effective.

The Working Genius Assessment is a product by Patrick Lencioni and The Table Group.