My ah-ha moment when learning about Patrick Lencioni’s Working Genius model (dot 3726) was when it was aligned with the analogy of altitude. When you use your genius seems to be the secret sauce that makes it powerful.
- Those with a genius of Wonder are best at the 30,000-foot level when the discussion focuses on the big picture and conceptual ideas
- Invention contributes the most at 25,000 feet — formulating an idea about how to address the issues Wonder has raised
- Once there is an idea, Discernment can jump in at 20,000 feet to assess the merits of the idea
- Then Galvanizing can rally the troops at 15,000 feet to get people excited about the idea
- Before Enablement actually starts the implementation at 5,000 feet
- And Tenacity finishes the project at 1,000 feet to the ground
What I see happening is that people contribute their genius at the wrong altitude, annoying others and wasting time as the questions are not as relevant at that point. My genius is Tenacity and I’m sure my tendency to ask detailed questions during the conceptual Wonder stage unintentionally made people crazy. This model will help me align my comments with which “altitude” is being discussed.
Whether or not you formally identify your genius, I think the idea of identifying which altitude the project is at or what altitude the agenda items reference can help people contribute appropriate input, regardless of their profile. It doesn’t help to remind people to buckle their seat belts when they are still deciding where to book a flight.
The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni, 2022
Working Genius podcast on Spotify
