It used to be that the term “genius” was reserved for an elite group of super-brainiacs but today the label seems to be applied in a variety of contexts.
Liz Wiseman, in her book Multipliers (dot 3724) refers to genius that “comes in many forms” including creativity, quantitative analysis, verbal reasoning, the ability to lead others, or the genius to find solutions to vexing problems. Wiseman encourages managers to develop the habit of “genius watching” to learn about the inherent skills of each team member and then to shine a spotlight on it for others to appreciate those gifts.
In Impact Players (dot 3723), Wiseman refers to these innate talents as “native genius” — something that people are “naturally and astonishingly brilliant at” — what they do easily and without much conscious effort. She encourages people to identify and share their native genius with their supervisor and team members in order to be utilized at full capacity.
A new book Unleashing Your Complexity Genius* offers strategies for highlighting your natural capacities in reaction to stress caused by uncertainty and ambiguity. And Patrick Lencioni of 5 Dysfunctions fame also has a new book out to help people identify their Working Genius (more on that tomorrow).
All of this is to say that it seems everyone is capable of being a genius in some aspect of life. To have exceptional talents is not limited to traditional academic or scientific pursuits, rather it involves identifying the noteworthy abilities you have — no matter what the area — and leveraging them to derive joy and provide value. It’s worth the time to articulate your inner Einstein and to freely share it with the world.
*Unleashing Your Complexity Genius: Growing Your Inner Capacity to Lead by Jennifer Garvey Berger and Carolyn Coughlin, 2022
For a free workbook “How to Tap into Your Native Genius” see the special offer on the Impact Players website.
