The 6 Types of Working Genius – an Interview with Pat Lencioni
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Why do so many people feel unfulfilled and misunderstood at work? Often, it’s because they’re not using their unique work-related gifts – those natural strengths and abilities that give them energy and joy. When it comes to being part of a team, the negative feelings of frustration and unfulfilled potential can intensify. With so many different personalities and diverse talents to contend with, collaborating effectively with other people can be extremely challenging. It’s no wonder that many teams don’t even come close to achieving the sort of success they could.
In his new book, “The 6 Types of Working Genius,” Pat Lencioni presents a new framework for solving this problem. If you can help your team to identify and understand both their own unique gifts and the unique gifts of their teammates, you will vastly increase overall productivity and satisfaction.
There are 6 types of Working Genius:
The Genius of Wonder is the natural gift of pondering the possibility of greater potential and opportunity in a given situation. A person with this gift can identify the need for improvement or change.
The Genius of Invention is the natural gift of creating original and novel ideas and solutions. Someone with this gift will confirm the importance of a need and generate an idea or a solution.
The Genius of Discernment is the natural gift of intuitively and instinctively evaluating ideas and situations. A person with discernment is talented at assessing the merit and workability of an idea or solution.
The Genius of Galvanizing is the natural gift of rallying, inspiring and organizing others to take action. This team member will generate enthusiasm and action around an idea or a solution.
The Genius of Enablement is the natural gift of providing encouragement and assistance for an idea or project. This person will initiate support and assist in the implementation of the idea or solution.
The Genius of Tenacity is the natural gift of pushing projects or tasks to completion to achieve results. This team member always commits to ensuring that an idea or solution gets completed and that results are achieved.
As a team leader, when you know what energizes or frustrates your team members, you can identify areas of strength as well as areas of missing Genius. You can also analyze where adjustments or tweaks need to be made in order to improve productivity and fulfillment. Ultimately, using this model will help your team to do more of what brings them joy and energy, helping them to thrive in both work and in life. To learn more, listen to the latest episode of “It’s a Good Life”.
