Are you finding it challenging at your organization to get the right team members in the right seats? Do you have a group of talented team members and still can’t pinpoint why there seem to be gaps in performance or results? You’re not alone—and we can help!
At Bonfire Training, we want teams of all shapes and sizes to better understand the gifts they bring to work, so we took the time to become certified facilitators in Patrick Lencioni’s newest teamwork model, “The Working Genius.” This new and exciting assessment helps organizations create a healthy work culture by utilizing talent and placing the right people in the right seats, and we couldn’t be more excited.
Unlike other personality assessments, the six types of Working Genius, also known as “WIDGET,” focus on the actual talents and stages required in the process of getting work completed. The evaluation showcases a powerful opportunity for leaders and teams to identify and capitalize on the strengths of their team members. Organizations get productive, happy team members, and team members gain confidence and understanding of their unique talents. It’s a win-win!
The 6 Types of Working Genius
As Lencioni puts it, “If you want to be successful and fulfilled in your work, you must tap into your gifts. That can’t happen if you don’t know what those gifts are.” We couldn’t agree more—but we should also note how difficult it can be at times to acknowledge our own strengths. This assessment not only highlights our untapped potential, it also brings our personal genius to the forefront.
As you work to build and strengthen your team, pay attention to the following six qualities:
- The Genius of Wonder: The natural gift of pondering the possibility of greater potential and opportunity in a given situation.
- The Genius of Invention: The natural gift of creating original and novel ideas and solutions.
- The Genius of Discernment: The natural gift of intuitively and instinctively evaluating ideas and situations.
- The Genius of Galvanizing: The natural gift of rallying, inspiring and organizing others to take action.
- The Genius of Enablement: The natural gift of providing encouragement and assistance for an idea or project.
- The Genius of Tenacity: The natural gift of pushing projects or tasks to completion to achieve results.
The first two Working Genius types help you develop new ideas, the second two help you activate your ideas, and the last two help you implement your ideas. We all have gifts worth sharing!
The Working Genius Training Program Overview
While all six types of working genius are required to get things done at any organization, none of us will be exceptionally talented in all six categories. With that being said, we each thrive in two genius areas. We will help your team members understand that everyone has:
- Two areas of Working Genius: Two of the six types that come naturally to you, meaning that you are good at them, and they give you energy and joy.
- Two areas of Working Competencies: You can do these fairly well, maybe even very well, but you don’t derive great joy or energy from them.
- Two areas of Working Frustrations–These areas are neither natural nor energizing for you, and most likely, you aren’t particularly good at doing them.
In this training program, each team member will complete a 10-minute assessment that will include a custom report when completed. Once the Working Genius types of your team members are uncovered, your organization can more easily align goals, organize projects, and implement stages of work (Ideation, Activation, and Implementation) with team members whose Working Genius strengths are in those identified areas.
Better yet, this level of knowledge helps team members understand how they can leverage one another’s strengths and contribute to work most effectively to achieve their full potential. Lencioni’s The Working Genius model can be utilized in a variety of ways to bring greater success and fulfillment in areas like:
- Leadership development/coaching
- Job alignment/adjustments
- Team cohesion and productivity
- Creating a common language
- Clarity around stages of work
Ready to get started? Contact us today to learn more about our Working Genius Training!