Long story short, if you are part of any team, go take the Working Genius Assessment! The link is below. There’s also a link to an interview if you want to hear Lencioni explain it himself. Have your team also take the assessment. Put the results in a chart. Your world will make much more sense.
For those of you that need a little more info, Lencioni has come up with a model called the Working Genius. They have identified six areas that are needed for any team to get things done. More importantly, they have discovered that each person naturally has a genius in two of these areas. They also naturally are frustrated by two of these areas. This is just part of how you were created. It then becomes important to spend as much time as practical in your genius areas and to structure the work of the team accordingly.
Here’s a brief description of the six types of genius:
- Wonder: You ask the great questions. Where is there a problem or possibility? Where is there room for improvement? You enjoy pondering these things.
- Invention: You provide answers to the question. Creating plans and discovering solutions are what energize you.
- Discernment: You have the intuitive ability to evaluate which answers are good answers. Your instincts help to assess and provide feedback for the proposed plans and solutions.
- Galvanizing: You rally people around the plan or solution. You inspire people to take action.
- Enablement: You provide the assistance and effort needed to bring a plan or solution to reality. You naturally know how to help people.
- Tenacity: You push a project or plan through to completion. You find great satisfaction in seeing a project succeed.
The type of genius you have will be life-giving. The areas of frustration will be draining. While you may be “good” or competent in more areas than just your genius area, you’ll feel the difference if they are your genius or not.
Useful Links
- Working Genius website: https://www.workinggenius.com/
- Nieuwhof interview of Lencioni: https://careynieuwhof.com/episode391/
- Other Lencioni Books: https://www.tablegroup.com/books/
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