Unpacking Lencioni's '6 Types of Working Genius'
A Breakdown of Patrick Lencioni's Most Recent Book
Recently, I heard an episode of the Faith Driven Entrepreneurs Podcast where Patrick Lencioni briefly described his new framework, the 6 Types of Working Genius. So, I wanted to break them down for you.
Welcome back to Catholic Founders, The #1 Publication For Catholic Founders & Business Owners. We’re on a mission to support and educate Catholic Business Owners worldwide so that together, we can intentionally influence the world toward God.
Running businesses in union with the Church’s teachings gives us a huge, multi-purpose lever to pull to accomplish this mission.
Example: living The Faith gives witness to our employees, leading them to God.
Finance: we can fund the construction and remodeling of churches and schools.
Employment: we can help people provide for their families.
Mentorship: we can elevate young folks to learn and develop their skills.
Education: we can educate the public on Catholicism through our example.
As a preface, keep in mind the typical hiring method. You craft a job description and find someone who has done those things. It’s all about the person’s knowledge and whether they present a culture fit for the company. I’m well-versed in this, having been a recruiter for the past four years.
Patrick wants to flip this like a pancake.
He claims we have a particular dominant ‘Working Genius’—something we are born with naturally—our God-given talent. He believes we should hire based on each person’s dominant working genius rather than soley on knowledge and experience.
I was skeptical when I first heard this because I’ve seen many companies make huge blunders by hiring someone who didn’t have the exact skillset required for a role. These blunders have ranged from lost money to missing growth targets, and in some cases, the combo led to a shutdown.
However, as he dove in further, it started to make sense.
If a person is hired for a role where they use their main genius every day, they will thrive. It literally comes naturally — they will not get burnt out. True, some amount of work experience may be required. But his point is that knowledge can be taught, whereas God gives you a working genius. You can’t learn how to be a different person or develop a different working genius, but you can learn how an industry works.
This fits well with the idea that we all have a ‘role’ to play in life. Look at the Apostles; they did some things well and others poorly. In sum, they achieved incredible outcomes. They played their parts (in conjunction with the Holy Spirit).
Okay, let’s get into the 6 Types of Working Genius.
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Wonder: Identifying Opportunity
This person likely spends a lot of time in the clouds. You see problems and potential ways to solve them. In general, they tend to ask good questions and try to figure out why things are the way they are.
This person is likely to be the type to constantly discuss ideas and want to start new things. They may not always have the answer to what can solve the problems, but they are able to recognize where the opportunity lies. They have a genuine entrepreneurial spirit.
Invention: Developing Solutions
This type of person tends to be creative and has a different way of looking at the world. They might be skilled at brainstorming and are likely to identify the solution to one of the problems or opportunity areas identified by the Wonder type.
Think of them like that annoying sibling who always seems to know what you should do when you have an ‘unsolvable’ problem. These are the people you want to unleash on a problem that needs a solution.
Discernment: Vetting Ideas
A realist. This type of genius can apply reality to the ideas presented by Invention. Pragmatic in nature — A skeptic, you could say. They always seem to have a read on what the cost (time and money) will be to make something happen. This allows the team to discern if it’s an idea/solution worth pursuing.
Personally, I can understand this one well. I’ve had many partners who point out the realistic roadblocks of an idea I’ve had. I tend to think ‘that person is a party pooper’, but at the end of the day, these people have saved me a lot of wasted effort.
Galvanizing: Mobilizing People
Once a solution to an opportunity has been created and we know it’s realistic to pursue, the Galvanizer gets the people going. They are the ones to sweep everyone into action. In many cases, they’ll get other players to join the team or change direction by demonstrating through sheer conviction that NOW is the time to act.
Effectively, this person is the catalyst to get things started. I tend to think there are not many people like this around. It feels hard to find people who are like this but they are needed. It’s especially helpful for morale.
When I hear this Genius type, I think of Steve Jobs. He could get people moving and motivated. I think he had many other skills as well, but ‘a mobilizer of people’ sounds just like him.
Enablement: Supporting
Someone with Enablement is an expert at seeing when a teammate needs help and leaps to action. This genius is often underappreciated but genuinely needed because when people get stuck, they need a push. They often notice when someone is stuck before they know it themselves.
There is also an emotional aspect to this person in that they encourage you when things are getting tough.
An example of this person comes to mind as well: Donna from the show Suits. She’s always helping the rest of the cast break through and move forward when they are stuck (emotionally or technically).
Tenacity: Follow Through
Without this person, the projects don’t get done fully. You can think of these types of people as killer project managers. They are the taskmaster who pushes things forward over and over without giving up. They make sure things are done well, and that delivery is achieved.
You can imagine this person grinning from ear to ear as they cross off their to-do list. If this is not your strong suit, make sure you have someone on your team who possesses this genius — it’s a cheat code.
Reflect
Lencioni states that after testing this on thousands of people through his consulting practice, each person has 2 main Geniuses and 2 Frustrations.
Which are your two geniuses? Which of these two do you do best? Not which you admire most but actually do best.
And which of these is your weakest? Which causes you frustration? The ones that would give you a sigh of relief to drop.
Personally, I think Wonder and Galvanizing are my strong suits, while Tenacity and Discernment are my weakest areas.
For example, I love coming up with ideas to write about for Catholic Founders — I love talking to people about this to try and get them to join me on this journey — and I even enjoy putting words to paper — but I hate going back and editing each piece to make it really good.
Understanding these concepts matters because if you’re constantly trying to be all things to all people, your business will suffer. I’m going through this now as a business of one. I have to be all of these things until I have enough revenue to hire. And believe me, I anticipate that day eagerly.
If you’re early in your founding journey like me (and I know many of you are), consider your biggest ‘frustration’ areas and hire someone who has those as their main genius. That partnership will help you have a 1 + 1 = 3 situation.
Shared Language
To get the most out of this concept, it’s important that you teach it to your company. Don’t just keep it between the officers of the company. Teach everyone so they can reflect on it and lean into their geniuses. This is how you can build a work culture firing on all cylinders.
It will also help all employees to feel a sense of purpose. Like Ikigai, each person will feel they have a specific purpose, which helps maintain harmony and momentum.
Applying Our Faith
After learning about the concept of the 6 Geniuses, I felt strongly that we can reimagine how we hire and work together to propagate the faith.
Often, we don’t take a bet on a young buck because they have no proven skills, but if we take the time to get to know them, we’d discover their working genius. If it fits well with the team’s needs, we can hire them, mentor them, and help them grow. Aside from helping them provide financially, we are also doing a sort of ‘service’ by teaching them.
Young people today really need mentors. They need people to believe in them and to help them. If we have the opportunity to help others, we must accept that God blessed us, not solely for our own benefit but also for the benefit of those around us.
Use Patrick's framework in your work, and help others develop their geniuses and thus their confidence.
See ya next time! 👋
Homework: Pour yourself a cup of coffee, grab a notepad and your favorite pen (you know, the ones that feel just right), and sit down to reflect. Figure out what your 2 main geniuses are. Then, figure out what your 2 core areas of frustration are. Use this as a guide to help develop awareness about your day-to-day activities and your future hiring decisions.
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