Not all management books have staying power in my memory, but The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni has stuck with me. The book is a fictional story in which we follow a character, Bull Brooks, as he explores his frustrations with work. He’s switching jobs often and can’t stay content with his career path despite evidence of success. As the book progresses, experiences from his career help Bull formulate the “6 Types of Working Genius” framework for professional fulfillment.
The 6 Types of Working Genius
These six types of working genius map roughly to the stages through which all work must pass: Wonder (questioning status quo), Invention (forming a new idea), Discernment (judging the idea), Galvanizing (rallying the troops), Enablement (providing support), and Tenacity (completing the task).
Everyone has a natural talent for two of the six types of work. Those are your “working geniuses.” It is the type of work where you shine; the work feels natural to you and it brings you joy. The author has tested the framework on thousands of people and two is the magic number for most people. “And in so many cases, when we asked the people who thought they might have three geniuses (one person even claimed to have all six!) about where they received energy and joy, they settled on two.”
Everyone also has two types that are their “Working Frustrations.” It’s the type of work that you dread; you may be capable of doing it, even doing it well, but it drains your emotional battery and makes time drag.
Lastly, the stages of work that are neither your geniuses nor your frustrations are your “Working Competencies.” You can do this work without frustration, but it won’t energize you.
Below are the six working types of genius, how the book describes them, and how I think about them on a team.
The Genius of Wonder
“The Genius of Wonder involves the ability to ponder and speculate and question the state of things, asking the questions that provoke answers and action. […] They find it easy to lose themselves in observing the world around them and wondering whether things shouldn’t be different or whether there is untapped potential that should be tapped.”
You can easily spot a Genius of Wonder in your midst; they’ll be the ones asking the “annoying” questions, that is the questions you cannot answer (yet!). They can be quiet observers or the think-aloud type, but either way, you know that when they speak, they often bring to light thought-provoking observations and challenge your assumptions. Give them time to ponder and they will most likely surprise you.
The Genius of Invention
“The Genius of Invention is all about coming up with new ideas and solutions. People with this genius are drawn toward origination, creativity, and ingenuity in the truest sense of those words, even with little direction and context.”
The Genius of Invention is most likely to be recognized as a traditional “genius” because they seem able to solve every problem. Give them a problem and freedom and they will be happy campers. However, freedom isn’t always in line with OKRs, so it’s best to apply agile guardrails for quick exploration, testing, and feedback.
The Genius of Discernment
“The Genius of Discernment is related to instinct, intuition, and uncanny judgment. […] Using pattern recognition and gut feel, they are able to provide valuable advice and feedback around most subjects in a way that transcends their levels of specific knowledge or information.”
You know who loves to be criticized? No one. So unless your Genius of Discernment has a real knack for giving a compliment sandwich, it’s easy to tell them apart from the other geniuses as they are likely to have earned the label of “difficult to work with” or “not a team player” (or worse). But you need a Discernment genius on your team, lest you ship garbage into production. They are going to look at things with a critical eye, spot things no one else can, and save your bacon more than once. Mentor them in the art of delivering bad news with finesse, and act as a buffer when needed.
The Genius of Galvanizing
“The Genius of Galvanizing is about rallying, motivating, and provoking people to take action around an idea or an initiative. People with this genius are naturally inclined to inspire and enlist others to get involved in an endeavor.”
The Galvanizing geniuses are most likely to be your leaders and managers on the team. Planning and organization should be a continuous area of growth for the galvanizers because there’s nothing worse than getting everyone excited if they don’t know what to do.
The Genius of Enablement
“The Genius of Enablement involves providing people with support and assistance in the way that it is needed. People with this genius are adept at responding to the needs of others without conditions or restrictions.”
Women are often raised to be caretakers but don’t mistake them for always being Enablement geniuses. Being conditioned to do something doesn’t mean you find it fulfilling. For the women on your team, make sure to take extra observation time before putting them in this category. Your enablement geniuses are likely to be the mentors and teachers on the team. They care deeply about their peers and want to see everyone grow and succeed. Make sure they protect enough of their time to complete their own work though, as boundless generosity can sometimes backfire.
The Genius of Tenacity
“The Genius of Tenacity is about the satisfaction of pushing things across the finish line to completion. People with this genius are not only capable of, but naturally inclined to, finish projects and ensure that they are completed according to specification.”
Once work gets to your tenacity geniuses, you best get out of the way and watch out! You can suss out a tenacity genius because they keep their eyes on the finish line, seek out the measurable impact of their work, and get more frustrated than most if someone pulls the plug on their project. The best use of your tenacity geniuses is to put them on the long projects no one else has had the drive and stamina to complete. They’ll make it happen.
Responsive Geniuses vs Disruptive Geniuses
The framework divides the six types into two categories:
Responsive geniuses: “Responsive geniuses tend to, well, respond to an external stimulus in order to be put into action.” Wonder, Discernment, and Enablement are responsive geniuses.
Disruptive geniuses: “Disruptive geniuses, on the other hand, generally initiate or provoke change when they see a need for it, even if others aren’t necessarily calling for it.” Invention, Galvanizing, and Tenacity are responsive geniuses.
Being proactive is often touted as the ideal, but it’s a disservice to the value of responsiveness. “The responsive and disruptive geniuses alternate in the course of work, creating a kind of balance and synergy that is necessary. Without the question or observation of Wonder, for instance, there is no need for Invention. And without Discernment of an inventor’s idea, that original concept will be far less likely to succeed. And without Enablement, the most persuasive galvanizer will not get a program off the ground. There is no doubt that responsive and disruptive geniuses are equally valuable in the process of effective work.”
Applying The Framework In Real Life
As an individual, understanding these different types of work helps explain why some tasks energize you while others drain you, even within the same domain. Make sure you seek opportunities that align well with your areas of genius because working extensively in your areas of frustration can more easily lead to burnout.
If you’re the leader of a team, it can be helpful to think of which geniuses everyone on your team has, so when possible, you can give them work that would be energizing rather than draining. Moreover, you can more effectively pair people on tasks if you know their working geniuses complement each other well.
For leaders growing a team, it’s a very useful framework to form well-balanced teams. As an extreme (and unlikely) example, if you’re wondering why your team of extremely talented engineers never seems to finish anything on time, consider that maybe your team is leaning heavily on Discernment geniuses who would rather perfect every detail rather than call something done. Throw a disruptor in there to rally them over the finish line. When hiring, ask the interviewee questions across the 6 types and listen to which questions get them out of their shell. E.g.:
Tell me about a time when you saw an opportunity for improvement. (Wonder)
Tell me about a creative solution you created to overcome a complex problem. (Invention)
Tell me how you evaluate new ideas. (Discernment)
Tell me about a time when you rallied a team around a challenging goal. (Galvanizing)
Tell me a situation in which you supported a team member overcome a challenge. (Enablement)
Tell me about a project you brought to completion. (Tenacity)
Overall, the book is a solid read and I would recommend it to all people managers.