{"id":103885,"date":"2023-06-05T08:35:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-05T12:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=103885"},"modified":"2023-06-05T10:50:26","modified_gmt":"2023-06-05T14:50:26","slug":"the-6-types-of-working-genius","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-6-types-of-working-genius\/","title":{"rendered":"The 6 Types of Working Genius: Book Overview"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is the book The 6 Types of Working Genius<\/em> about? What’s the best way to get a team to work together?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In The 6 Types of Working Genius<\/em>, Patrick Lencioni walks you through six intelligence types and how they can bolster organizational well-being. Additionally, he addresses how these intelligence types apply to workflow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read below for a brief overview of The 6 Types of Working Genius<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The 6 Types of Working Genius<\/em><\/strong> by Patrick Lencioni<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Patrick Lencioni\u2019s The 6 Types of Working Genius<\/em><\/a> argues that everyone possesses certain \u201cgeniuses,\u201d or intelligence types, and that all successful teams consist of members possessing a combination of each type. By identifying which traits your team members have, you can maximize both productivity and individual fulfillment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lencioni is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, and speaker. In 1997, he founded the Table Group, a consultancy firm designed to coach organizations toward optimal health. Since then, Lencioni has dedicated himself to helping businesses cultivate sounder management practices and workplace happiness<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lencioni begins the book with a fable, a common feature in his works (including The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive<\/em><\/a>, Death by Meeting<\/em><\/a>, and The Five Dysfunctions of a Team<\/em><\/a>). It tells of a businessman who, despite many professional shifts and successes, still finds himself consistently drained and irritable towards the people around him. After one of his employees delivers some particularly critical feedback regarding these shifting moods, the businessman and members of his team ultimately divulge what tasks they most love and despise at work, thus revealing their particular natural strengths\u2014the framework for the 6 Geniuses is born. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Six Geniuses and the Phases of a Project<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Lencioni explains that an intelligence type is intrinsic to the individual, meaning the types reflect what that person is naturally good at. Each intelligence helps people excel at one of six essential activities required during any project, from developing your next product to planning a family vacation to establishing a summer fundraiser for your local charity group. These are Lencioni\u2019s names for the six intelligences as well as the descriptions we\u2019ll use to reference them: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Wonder: Perceiving Opportunity<\/li>
  2. Invention: Innovating Solutions<\/li>
  3. Discernment: Vetting Ideas<\/li>
  4. Galvanizing: Mobilizing People<\/li>
  5. Enablement: Supporting<\/li>
  6. Tenacity: Seeing Things Through<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    We\u2019ll describe each intelligence type in more detail below. For now, it\u2019s important to understand that Lencioni argues that each individual excels in only two intelligence types, that the intelligences are mutually complementing, and that all intelligence types must be represented for a team to succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Lencioni argues that each of these six intelligences has either a responsive <\/em>(passive) or disruptive <\/em>(active) quality and that this stems from the source of the intelligence\u2019s inspiration. Passive intelligences draw inspiration from the surrounding world and formulate approaches to changing or reorganizing it\u2014in other words, they respond<\/em> or react to situations. Active intelligences rely instead on their own internal powers to instigate change or impact behaviors\u2014they create, innovate, and pull ideas from thin air. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Moreover, each intelligence is defined by its role during one of three stages of work that Lencioni defines: ideation, activation, and implementation. From here on out, we\u2019ll refer to these as the brainstorming<\/a>, set-up, and follow-through phases, respectively, and we\u2019ll describe them in more detail below. Each of these three phases comprises two intelligences\u2014one passive and one active. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Lencioni illustrates the three phases on a downwardly sloping gradient he calls elevation<\/em>. The earliest phase of work (brainstorming) is at the top, descending through the remaining phases toward the project\u2019s completion. This gradient has a metaphorical quality, where the earliest phases of work occur when our heads are in the clouds and activities are most conceptual. The process then eventually gains practical definition as it descends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Lencioni emphasizes that one phase of work or intelligence is not better than another\u2014only that they are most effective in a specific sequence in the life cycle of a project. For instance, early-stage discussions typically can\u2019t tolerate too much task-mastering, because they\u2019re meant to be more open and imaginative. Similarly, abstract creativity in later-stage discussions can distract the focus from the project\u2019s execution and last-minute problem-solving. This means that putting team members in positions that don\u2019t capitalize on their unique intelligence can derail the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In this section, we\u2019ll study the six intelligences and their essential traits within their respective phases of work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Phase 1: Brainstorming<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Lencioni says the brainstorming stage begins any working process. It involves seeing a need or opportunity and devising ways of addressing or capitalizing on it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Intelligence #1: Perceiving Opportunity<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

    Category: Passive<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The person with this intelligence gets the ball rolling. She recognizes an opportunity in the status quo and contemplates what\u2019s possible. This intelligence is passive because it reacts to external challenges calling out for solutions and is required to catalyze projects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For example, imagine your company wants to develop a new razor blade for personal care, but that particular market is saturated. This person sees where your competitors are going wrong and why their products don\u2019t fully satisfy consumer demands: because their prices are staggeringly high. Instead of seeing difficulty, the person with this intelligence sees an opportunity\u2014if you could lower production costs while maintaining quality, your company could make its mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Intelligence #2: Innovating Solutions<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

    Category: Active<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The teammate with this intelligence thinks outside the box. After the person with Perceiving Opportunity intelligence identifies the problem or opportunity, the person who innovates solutions provides an approach to fixing or seizing it through her industrious imagination. This intelligence type is active because it relies on its own inherent creativity and vision and is adept at leading brainstorming sessions with onslaughts of new ideas. The person with this type of intelligence<\/a> is likely the one who will come up with an ingenious design solution for your new product, and because this intelligence is active. she\u2019ll do so without the need for prompting or direction. Perhaps this person sees how to use a lower-cost but high-quality alloy for your company\u2019s razor blade and that machining this alloy with precision will also take less time than the competitor\u2019s expensive, conventional blade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Phase 2: Set-Up<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    This is the critical middle phase of work. This is the time to troubleshoot ideas raised in the previous phase and evaluate their integrity and applicability. This is also the point where the organization must fully commit to the project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Organizations that dedicate ample time and resources to this phase tend to experience both expedited and<\/em> positive outcomes. However, according to Lencioni, set-up is typically the most neglected of the three stages of work. When teams rush this phase, they tend to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n