Episode 610R: How to Help Team Members Find the Right Work with Patrick Lencioni

Release Date: July 7, 2025
Host: Dave Stachowiak
Guest: Patrick Lencioni
Podcast: Coaching for Leaders

Introduction

In this insightful episode of Coaching for Leaders, host Dave Stachowiak welcomes renowned leadership expert Patrick Lencioni. Known for his influential works such as The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and The Ideal Team Player, Patrick delves into his latest model, The Six Types of Working Genius. This model offers a transformative approach to understanding team dynamics and individual roles within an organization.

Patrick Lencioni’s Personal Journey

Patrick begins by sharing a personal struggle with job dissatisfaction despite having a fulfilling environment and supportive colleagues. As he recounts:

“I had been struggling off and on for years with my own job dissatisfaction... How did that happen?” (04:29)

This introspection led him to develop the Six Types of Working Genius, a framework that categorizes work into different types, helping individuals identify their strengths and areas of frustration.

Understanding the Six Types of Working Genius

Patrick outlines the three stages of work, each consisting of two types of genius:

1. Ideation Stage

   • Wonder: Asking the big questions to assess if things are the right way.
   • Invention: Developing ideas to answer those questions.

2. Activation Stage

   • Activation: Evaluating and getting others excited about ideas.

3. Implementation Stage

   • Implementation: Executing and completing tasks.
   • Tenacity: Ensuring tasks are finished thoroughly.

Patrick emphasizes that recognizing these stages helps leaders place team members in roles that align with their natural inclinations, thereby enhancing productivity and job satisfaction.

“This is where this gets really powerful... how do we help everyone else to find that...” (35:00)

Working Genius vs. Competency vs. Frustration

Patrick explains the three categories each individual falls into:

• Working Genius: Tasks you love and can perform energetically.
• Working Competency: Tasks you can do well but don’t particularly enjoy.
• Working Frustration: Tasks that drain your energy and lead to burnout.

He uses a coffee cup analogy to illustrate this:

“Working Genius is like a Yeti mug holding coffee heat for hours. Competency is a cup with a lid that keeps it warm for a while, and Frustration is a cup with a hole, where the coffee drains out quickly.” (11:52)

Understanding these distinctions allows teams to allocate tasks more effectively, ensuring that individuals thrive by focusing on their geniuses while minimizing exposure to their frustrations.

Practical Applications in Teams

Patrick shares practical examples of how organizations have benefited from applying the Working Genius model:

• Reorganization for Optimal Roles: By realigning team members based on their geniuses, productivity soared. For instance, Patrick transitioned a team member to a role that matched his strengths, resulting in immediate positive outcomes.

“Our productivity, Dave, went up so fast when we slid him into his genius and me into mine.” (07:47)

• Case Study with Nike: A Nike executive realized that skipping the activation stage led to project failures. Incorporating activation ensured ideas were thoroughly evaluated and team buy-in was secured before implementation, significantly increasing project success rates.

• Pastoral Example: A pastor struggled with sermon writing until he identified his working genius. By delegating sermon creation to someone whose strengths aligned with that task, he found renewed joy and effectiveness in his role.

Benefits of the Working Genius Model

Implementing the Working Genius model offers numerous advantages:

• Reduced Burnout: Aligning roles with individual strengths prevents the exhaustion associated with working frustrations.
• Increased Joy and Productivity: Employees engage more deeply with tasks they love, enhancing overall team performance.
• Clear Role Identification: Leaders can easily identify gaps and overlaps within their teams, facilitating informed decision-making.

Patrick highlights a pivotal insight:

“The type of work that a person does turns out to be much more important in regard to burnout than the volume of work.” (15:35)

Implementation Steps for Leaders

For leaders looking to adopt the Working Genius model, Patrick outlines a clear, actionable roadmap:

1. Assessment: Have team members complete the Working Genius assessment available at workinggenius.com.
2. Team Mapping: Analyze the results to identify each member’s geniuses, competencies, and frustrations.
3. Role Alignment: Reorganize roles to align tasks with individual geniuses. For example, appoint a team member with a Galvanizing Genius as the Chief Galvanizing Officer.
4. Addressing Gaps: Utilize internal resources or hire new talent to fill missing geniuses within the team.
5. Continuous Evaluation: Regularly revisit team dynamics to ensure ongoing alignment and address any emerging issues.

Patrick advises:

“Within an hour you can take the test, look at your results, discuss them and look at the map... the relief and the clarity just streams out.” (09:10)

Overcoming Organizational Challenges

Patrick discusses common obstacles leaders may face, such as resistance to change or the misconception that individuals must handle tasks outside their geniuses. He emphasizes the importance of fostering a culture where team members feel valued for their strengths:

“You're not a bad person, you're not a bad employee... there is no way you could be happy that allows her or him to have dignity and realize that I'm loving them into something they love.” (24:36)

Conclusion

This episode of Coaching for Leaders provides a comprehensive exploration of Patrick Lencioni’s Six Types of Working Genius model. By understanding and applying this framework, leaders can enhance team cohesion, boost productivity, and significantly reduce burnout. The model offers a practical and accessible tool for aligning team roles with individual strengths, fostering a more joyful and effective workplace.

Notable Quotes:

• “The type of work that a person does turns out to be much more important in regard to burnout than the volume of work.” — Patrick Lencioni (15:35)
• “Our productivity, Dave, went up so fast when we slid him into his genius and me into mine.” — Patrick Lencioni (07:47)
• “This is where this gets really powerful... how do we help everyone else to find that...” — Dave Stachowiak (35:00)
• “Working Genius is like a Yeti mug holding coffee heat for hours. Competency is a cup with a lid that keeps it warm for a while, and Frustration is a cup with a hole, where the coffee drains out quickly.” — Patrick Lencioni (11:52)

Further Resources:

• Books by Patrick Lencioni:
  The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, The Ideal Team Player, The Working Genius.

• Working Genius Assessment:
  Visit workinggenius.com to take the assessment and discover your team’s genius profiles.

• Coaching for Leaders Academy:
  For leaders seeking deeper engagement, consider applying to join the Coaching for Leaders Academy. Applications open in early September. More details at coaching4leaders.com/academy.

About Coaching for Leaders:

Coaching for Leaders with Dave Stachowiak empowers leaders through insightful conversations and practical tools. With over 40 million downloads and 250K followers, it remains a premier resource for leadership development. Activate your FREE membership at coachingforleaders.com to access an extensive library of leadership and management resources.

This summary captures the essence of Episode 610R, providing a detailed overview of the discussion between Dave Stachowiak and Patrick Lencioni on aligning team roles with individual strengths using the Six Types of Working Genius model.