The Six Types of Working Genius
A productivity and team-dynamics framework that identifies six distinct stages of work required to move an idea from conception to completion. It categorizes individual cognitive preferences into areas of genius, competency, or frustration to optimize team performance and personal fulfillment.
When participants seem unmotivated or disengaged
You need to understand what drives adult learners and how to create conditions for genuine engagement and retention.
Effective during team-building sessions, project kickoffs, leadership development programs, and organizational design initiatives aimed at reducing burnout and increasing efficiency.
Wonder
Invention
Discernment
Galvanizing
Enablement
Tenacity
Taps into intrinsic motivation so participants actually want to participate.
Facilitators can use this model to audit team composition, structure project workflows, and facilitate 'Working Genius' workshops where participants map their profiles against current team challenges to identify gaps in the project lifecycle.
- 1Give participants autonomy over how they engage
- 2Connect content to their real challenges
- 3Build confidence through early wins
- 4Create psychological safety for sharing
- Team Development
- Productivity Optimization
- Self-Awareness
- Workflow Design
- The Altitude of Work: Work moves from high-level ideation to ground-level execution.
- Genius vs. Frustration: Individuals have natural talents that energize them and 'frustrations' that drain their cognitive resources.
- The Full Lifecycle: Every successful project requires all six geniuses to be present and active at the appropriate stage.
- Team Balance: High-performing teams ensure representation across all six types to avoid 'cracks' in the workflow.
- Should not be used as a pre-employment screening tool.
- Requires psychological safety for team members to admit their areas of frustration.
- Success depends on the team's ability to shift 'altitude' collectively as a project progresses.