Six Types of Working Genius: Turning Burnout and Frustrations into Confidence and Collaboration

By Alexa Bowman

I graduated in May 2023, started a new job in mid-July the same year and got married the very next month. I was doing so much at once and could feel myself burning out. I pushed myself to be the best at everything: the best wife, the best co-worker and the best “adult.” I began feeling on edge and anxious about everything. It wasn’t until I learned about the Six Types of Working Genius that I began to understand why.

I was first introduced to this book through my Leadership Theory and Practice course with Dr. Kevin Shelby. Author Patrick Lencioni opened up a new world for me in terms of what makes me flourish, how I can help others, and how to avoid burnout and frustration. Though it was just a small piece of an eight-week course, it has captivated me for the past several months and helped me become a better wife, teammate and leader.

Lencioni’s six types of working genius are:

Wonder: The ability to ask the right questions, identify opportunities and see things from a fresh perspective.

Invention: The capacity to generate creative ideas, solutions and innovative processes.

Discernment: The skill to evaluate ideas, make informed decisions and ensure the right course of action.

Galvanizing: The talent for rallying and inspiring others, motivating them towards a shared goal.

Enablement: The ability to support and empower individuals, providing them with the resources and assistance they need to succeed.
Tenacity: The drive to see projects through to completion, overcoming obstacles and ensuring results are achieved.

I am fascinated by how each genius is represented as a cog, and how they all work together. Lencioni notes that it is inevitable that we will have to engage in or with each genius at some point or another, most likely multiple times in a single day, but there are some that bring joy and others that bring frustration.

Likewise, it became clear as I dove deeper into the geniuses that discernment brought about frustration for me, but the genius of invention made me feel fulfilled. I manage social media platforms, and I love to work with my student interns to create fun content, but anxiety builds if I am the last round of approval.

As I began to understand my own geniuses and frustrations and how they play out within my current role, I started to see them in my coworkers as well. Our editor, for instance, demonstrates a clear genius in discernment, genuinely enjoying the "brain break" that comes from reviewing social media content and providing strategic feedback. However, she finds it draining when she’s forced to provide ongoing motivation to team members, which shows she’s frustrated by enablement. Our graphic designer has genius in wonder and tenacity, loving to dream up projects and work on seeing them through completion, but she’s drained by having to “rally the troops” to make her ideas come to life, showing frustration with galvanizing. By being mindful of this, I saw that we weren't fighting against each other but instead were truly working together with more efficiency.

Diving in as a team

If I could see changes happening within my small group of coworkers, I wanted to expand that to the rest of my team. Though we all get along and see value in each other, frustrations were bubbling under the surface. I could see from my newfound understanding of Lencioni’s book that many of us weren’t working to our strengths and were stuck in a cycle of frustrations, leading most of us to feel burnt out.

Thanks to my incredible boss and administrative assistant, I had my team take a formal evaluation to determine their geniuses and frustrations; we later sat down to analyze the results. One thing that was crystal clear was no one on our team had a strength in galvanizing, but many of us were frustrated by it. Also, we learned we are mostly enablers; my team loves to encourage each other in their creative endeavors, but we collectively struggle to push each other to get a project done.

Since discovering and understanding each of our geniuses and frustrations, it is obvious that our team works together with more understanding and effectiveness. Being mindful of what empowers and drains us has allowed us to work together in ways that allow us to spend more time doing what makes each of us feel accomplished and fulfilled. Though this transformation took some intentional effort within my team, the outcome was worth it.

Final Thoughts

Lencioni does an excellent job of describing the magic that can happen when the Six Types of Working Genius are utilized correctly, whether it be in personal or professional life. My experiment with my team has been so incredibly successful that I had my husband take the assessment, and now we’re able to work better as a team, too. Though my life is still just as busy and hectic as it was two years ago, learning to play to my geniuses has brought fulfillment and empowerment in my roles as wife, coworker, and (still) new adult. I can also lead with confidence, knowing what gratifies and drains those around me.

If you’re in a position to hire, want to get rid of your own Sunday blues, or want to be a better spouse or parent, Lencioni’s book is worth a read. Learning and being aware of your superpowers can help you find satisfaction and joy in both your professional and personal life. Though you will have to use all six of the geniuses Lencioni outlines, you can position yourself to excel by leveraging your geniuses and minimizing your frustrations.

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Six Types of Working Genius: Turning Burnout and Frustrations into Confidence and Collaboration

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