Patrick Lencioni’s book “The 6 Types of Working Genius” offers a easy-to-use use framework to discover people’s natural strengths and work preferences. In this context, “work” encompasses all types of personal and professional tasks, from job-related duties to everyday chores and volunteering.
It helps to answer: why some people love their work and others dread it; why some tasks energize you and others drain you; and why some teams collaborate seamlessly and others struggle to get things done? Let’s dive into the key points.
The 6 Types of Working Genius are six different ways of thinking and working that are essential for success in any endeavor. They are:
- Wonder: Perceiving opportunities and possibilities
- Invention: Creating and generating new ideas and solutions
- Discernment: Evaluating and assessing the validity and value of ideas and solutions
- Galvanizing: Mobilizing and rallying people to take action on ideas and solutions
- Enablement: Supporting and facilitating the work of others
- Tenacity: Seeing things through to completion and ensuring quality
Each of us has two types of working genius that we are naturally gifted at and enjoy doing, two types that we can do but don’t bring us joy or energy, and two types that we find frustrating and draining. Knowing your own profile and the profiles of your team members can help you:
- Align work with everyone’s strengths: Focus people’s jobs on the tasks and roles that leverage their genius and avoid or delegate the ones that don’t.
- Appreciate and value diversity: Recognize and respect the different contributions and perspectives of others, and avoid judging or dismissing them based on your own preferences.
- Get better results: Ensure that all six types of working genius are represented and utilized in your teams and projects, and avoid gaps or imbalances that can lead to failure or mediocrity.
If your types of working genius are Wonder and Invention, it means that you love to explore new possibilities and generate novel ideas, but need others to help evaluate, implement, and finish them. So, if that’s me, I might enjoy writing this newsletter and sharing insights, but need to rely on an editor, and web designer to keep it running, and need readers to give feedback, support, and encouragement.
To discover your working genius, you can take a 10-minute online assessment at WorkingGenius.com. You can also read more about the model and its applications in Lencioni’s latest book, The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team.
What are your types of working genius? How do they affect your work and your team? I’d love to hear other ideas of how to get people in the right seats and the benefits you see from it?
May you find joy, passion, and freedom in all your adventures.
Horizon Line Group 