MY TAKEAWAY
I found a system that explains why some work completely drains me of energy.
Overview
This book starts with the story of how Patrick and his team came up with the Working Genius system. It’s written like a novel, and I found the writing style to be amusing but frustrating for this type of book. Despite that, I feel the content is worth the read. Like the author, I’ve found myself very drained sometimes at work and this book helped provide a framework for understanding why.
Six Types of Genius
Patrick’s team identified three phases of work: ideation, activation and implementation. Each phase has two areas of Genius. Ideation includes Wonder and Invention. Activation includes Discernment and Galvanizing. Implementation includes Enablement and Tenacity. The trick is that everyone has two areas of Genius—things they excel at and gain energy from operating in, and two areas of Frustration—things we’re not good at and will leave us drained of our energy. The two remaining are our areas of Competence: things we can do and even do well, but not for long.
Wonder
Wonder is the ability to look at the world and ask “What if?“. It allows us to look at a picture and see what is missing. To ask the questions that others don’t come up with. When presented with a situation or problem, a person with Wonder will tend to zoom out and ask “why is this happening?”, or “what is the bigger picture?”
Invention
Someone with the Genius of Invention takes the questions generated by someone with Wonder and comes up with answers. This could look like defining the details of a new project, or coming up with a completely new way to solve a problem.
Discernment
Discernment is the ability to make good decisions using either available data or intuition when data isn’t available. Someone with discernment can look into a situation and see past the obvious to the underlying issues that will lead to a project’s success or failure.
Galvanizing
A Galvanizer is someone who can take a project and get people excited about it. They can find the people and resources needed for the project to succeed and get everybody moving in the same direction. Importantly, they can also keep up the momentum over time.
Enablement
A person with Enablement answers the call of a Galvanizer. They’re the people who will tell you they can’t say no when someone asks for help. They’ll sit down, get to work, and get things done.
Tenacity
Tenacity is thriving on dragging a project across the finish line when everyone else is out of steam. Someone with Tenacity derives great satisfaction from the act of completing the work. When a project is 90% done and the Wonder/Invention types have long since moved on, someone with Tenacity will be there to finish the job.
Application
I took the assessment test and found that my two areas of Genius are Wonder and Invention. My areas of Frustration are Enablement and Galvanizing. This doesn’t really surprise me. I enjoy coming up with new things and starting new projects. I also have many projects ranging from 50% to 90% done, as well as my own project graveyard. I’ve self-selected into an environment where I’m working with motivated people who can take an idea and run with it—they don’t need constant prodding.
All in all I think the Working Genius system makes a lot of sense. It seems to fit well with my experiences, and I’ve been able to resolve some of my doubts about the system as I’ve had time to digest it. I’m looking forward to introducing the system to my team and seeing what we can do with it.