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The Greatest Discovery of My Career: The Power of Working Genius

What I’m about to share has been one of the most significant discoveries of my career—and not just professionally, but personally, too. It’s changed how I navigate my friendships, my marriage, and my understanding of myself. This tool has been a game-changer in my leadership journey, and I only wish I had known about it 10 years ago. But now that I do, I’m excited to share it with you today: the Working Genius model.

If you’re a visual learner, this working genius all-in-one model graphic will help you! You can download it for free HERE.

What Is the Working Genius?

Pat Lencioni, the creator of the Working Genius model, designed it after years of feeling like he didn’t fully understand why he worked the way he did. He jumped from one role to another, feeling dissatisfied, until he discovered that the issue wasn’t the jobs—it was that he wasn’t working in alignment with his natural strengths.

The Working Genius model outlines six activities involved in getting work done. It identifies two areas as your Working Genius (the tasks that energize you), two as your Working Competencies (tasks you can do but that drain you over time), and two as your Working Frustrations (tasks that deplete your energy). It’s a simple yet powerful model that gives insight into why you work the way you do.

Imagine your Working Genius as a thermos full of hot coffee—constantly full of energy and excitement. Your Competencies are more like a paper cup without a lid—useful, but the energy dissipates quickly. Your Frustrations? They’re like a cup with a hole in the bottom. Everything you put in just drains away.

The Six Working Geniuses

The six types of Working Genius follow a natural workflow, and as I go through them, you’ll see how they work together:

1. Wonder – People with the genius of Wonder ask big questions. They reflect on whether there are better ways to do things and are great at identifying opportunities for improvement.
2. Invention – These are the idea generators. They take the questions from Wonder and come up with creative solutions.
3. Discernment – With the ability to assess and refine ideas, people with Discernment have strong intuition and help evaluate whether a proposed solution is the right one.
4. Galvanizing – These are the motivators. Once an idea is ready, they rally people around it, mobilizing the team to take action.
5. Enablement – Often misunderstood, Enablement is crucial. These individuals know how to support and help others implement ideas effectively, responding to what the team needs.
6. Tenacity – Finally, Tenacity is all about execution. People with this genius ensure that projects are completed to the finish line with precision and detail.

Real-Life Example: Planning a Vacation

Let’s apply the Working Genius to a personal example, like planning a vacation:

• Someone with the genius of Wonder might stop and ask, “Do we need a vacation?” They’re great at pausing and reflecting.
• Then Invention jumps in: “Yes! Let’s go to Maui!”
• Discernment chimes in, “Maui might be too expensive. How about somewhere in the continental U.S.?”
• Invention returns, “Okay, how about Bend, Oregon?”
• Galvanizing takes over, getting everyone excited and on board, saying, “We’re going to Bend! What are you most looking forward to?”
• Enablement steps in to handle logistics, ensuring everyone’s needs are met.
• Finally, Tenacity books the flights and hotel, making sure every detail is squared away.

This is how the six geniuses flow together in everyday tasks, from planning vacations to completing projects at work.

The Power of Understanding Your Genius

Perhaps the most profound impact of the Working Genius model is how it helps us release guilt and judgment—of ourselves and others. When you understand your Working Geniuses, you no longer feel bad about struggling with certain tasks. It’s not a flaw; it’s simply not your genius! Working Genius is a rating, not a ranking. Many people excel in areas of frustration, but it drains them and leads to burnout.

Burnout isn’t caused by too much work. It’s caused by doing too much of the wrong work—work that doesn’t align with your geniuses. If you’re in a role that drains you, it might just be that you’re working outside your genius.

Stop Judging Others

The model also helps us shed judgment of others. We often fall into the trap of attributing someone’s behavior to their character, rather than considering their circumstances. But when you understand your team’s Working Geniuses, everything changes. You gain insight into why people work the way they do, fostering more empathy and better teamwork.

Altitude Sickness: When Work Gets Off Track

Another insight from the Working Genius model is what I like to call “altitude sickness.” Imagine the six geniuses as different altitudes, with Wonder being at 30,000 feet and Tenacity on the ground. When teams jump between different stages of work without following the natural workflow, it causes turbulence. Have you ever been in a brainstorming session, only for someone to cut in with, “That won’t work, we don’t have the budget”? Or during an execution phase when someone throws out a new idea? This altitude sickness derails progress and causes frustration.

When you understand where you and your team are in the workflow, you can avoid these disruptions, creating a smoother and more productive process.

Conclusion

The Working Genius model is a tool that has changed the way I lead and work—and it can do the same for you. By identifying your geniuses, competencies, and frustrations, you’ll work more efficiently, avoid burnout, and collaborate more effectively with your team. If you’re ready to discover your Working Genius, download the free PDF and start applying these insights today. Trust me, it’s a game-changer.