The 6 types of Working Genius | Ep. 207

Understanding and working in your “working geniuses” can lead to great success and fulfillment in the corporate world.

• 00:00 Discover the importance of personal and team development for productivity in the corporate world.
• 01:04 Understand and apply personality tests like Working Genius to improve team dynamics by identifying strengths and weaknesses.
  • Personality profiles and tests like DISC, StrengthsFinder, and Enneagram are self-awareness tools that provide reports based on a series of questions.
  • Answer personality tests honestly and consider the context in order to accurately understand and apply the results.
  • The Working Genius profile, developed by Patrick Lencioni, provides insight into different work profiles and how they can improve team dynamics.
  • The concept of working genius came from identifying strengths and weaknesses within a team, leading to the discovery of six working geniuses, two competencies, and two frustrations for each individual.
• 04:56 Understanding and utilizing your working genius is crucial for avoiding burnout and frustration, with the first genius being Wonder, involving pondering and constantly seeking improvements, and the gift of invention as a strength for generating new ideas and solutions.
  • Working in your frustrations can lead to burnout and frustration, while working in your geniuses is where magic happens, so it’s important to understand and utilize your working genius.
  • The first genius is Wonder, which involves pondering and thinking about potential and opportunities in a given situation, and constantly being curious and on the lookout for improvements.
  • If you love generating new ideas and solutions to problems and are comfortable coming up with something out of nothing, you may have the gift of invention as one of your strengths.
• 07:50 The gift of discernment provides instinctive evaluation and guidance, while the galvanizer brings people together, inspires action, and maintains momentum.
  • The gift of discernment is the ability to instinctively evaluate ideas and situations, providing guidance and direction even without expertise in the topic.
  • The galvanizer is the person who brings people together, inspires and organizes them to take action, and keeps the energy and momentum flowing in a project or relationship.
• 10:23 Enablement is redefined as a positive trait in working genius, where individuals provide encouragement and assistance to push the team forward, and matching talent with the stage of the process is important for project success.
  • Enablement is redefined as a positive trait in the context of working genius, where individuals provide encouragement and assistance to others, even if it’s not in their skill set, in order to push the team forward.
  • The ability to push projects to completion and achieve results is essential for every team and project.
  • Different types of geniuses are needed for a project to succeed, and matching talent with the stage of the process is important.
• 13:40 Discerning good ideas and implementing them is crucial in decision-making, while enablers ensure equipment is available and coaches connect with players, and tenacity people set and follow through on specific goals and schedules.
  • The speaker discusses the process of moving from wondering about the project to the invention phase, including finding teams, locations, and creating a list of kids to put on the team.
  • Discerning whether an idea is good and figuring out the best approach to implement it is crucial in the decision-making process.
  • Plan, galvanize, and disrupt to keep momentum going in starting and running a baseball team.
  • Enablers ensure that equipment is available and coaches connect with players, while tenacity people set and follow through on specific goals and schedules.
• 17:04 Focus on your top two working geniuses to excel in your role and ensure project completion, despite frustrations and struggles with certain aspects of work.
  • Every project requires a team with the right skill sets and working geniuses to ensure completion, and individuals should focus on their top two geniuses to excel in their roles.
  • The speaker discusses their working frustrations with tenacity and wonder, and how they excel at being the “energy guy” but struggle with details and long-term focus.
• 19:24 Understanding your working genius and frustrations, as well as those of your team, can lead to better communication and more successful outcomes in the workplace.
  • Understanding your working genius, competency, and frustrations can greatly improve teamwork and productivity in a work environment.
  • Understanding your own working genius and frustrations, as well as those of your team, can lead to better communication and more successful outcomes in the workplace.
  • Identify and communicate when you are in your frustration at work, ask for grace, and give yourself a set amount of time to work through it before moving into your zone of genius.
  • Block out time for wonder and invention, then use your natural skills to enable and galvanize, allowing for better communication and enjoyment in the workplace.
  • Identify your working genius and take the test to improve communication and team building.
  • Identify the people with the most impact, improve communication, and share feedback to make a difference in the world.