Working Genius and Stress: Why It Matters
You leave work after a long day completely drained and realize nothing you did that day brought you any joy. Nothing energized you. And to make matters even worse, you realize you can’t remember the last time you enjoyed anything about your job.
This was me. After 5 years in a job that I was really good at, I was burned out. Everything about my job was frustrating and draining. Getting out of bed was a battle. Weekends were spent zoning out doing nothing and reading or watching television.
I’m a firm believer that what we need shows up if we are paying attention. I was walking through our city library when a book on a display table caught my attention. I checked it out and read it in three hours on a Sunday afternoon.
That book was The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni. And it changed my life.
The 6 Types of Working Genius
The 6 Types of Working Genius is a productivity and teamwork model. It helps people understand the kinds of work that give them energy versus the kinds that drain them.
The six “geniuses” are:
- Wonder – seeing potential and asking the big questions.
- Invention – creating new ideas and solutions.
- Discernment – using intuition and judgment to evaluate ideas.
- Galvanizing – rallying and motivating others into action.
- Enablement – supporting and helping others move forward.
- Tenacity – pushing work across the finish line and ensuring results.
Everyone has two natural geniuses (work that energizes you), two competencies (things you can do but don’t love), and two frustrations (work that drains you). When you align your work with your geniuses, you experience less stress, more clarity, and greater impact.
Why Use Working Genius
When you are able to work in your geniuses we feel more energized and find more clarity. We are usually very skilled at our competencies but they can burn us out if we aren’t careful. Our frustrations will cause resentment and increase our stress.
For leaders, when you understand the geniuses of your team members and how they work together, it can reduce conflict and build healthier collaboration. When your team is missing a genius, you could miss an important step in a project or reaching your goals.
Once you know what your strengths are using Working Genius, you can design you work around them as much as possible.
Where do you feel most energized in your workday? Which tasks leave you drained and exhausted no matter how well you do them?
Want to explore your Working Genius for yourself or your team? Let’s talk.
I’d love to help you discover how knowing your Working Geniuses can unlock your strengths and help you lower your stress. Click here to schedule an on-the house strategy call.