Episode 85 Summary – “Don’t Fake It Till You Make It: Why Honesty Beats Pretending”

The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni
April 22, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode dives into the contentious advice “fake it till you make it,” exploring why pretending to have gifts that aren’t natural to us—especially within the context of the Six Types of Working Genius model—often leads to burnout and dissatisfaction. Host Patrick Lencioni and co-host Cody Thompson dissect the nuances of “faking it,” the dangers of taking on work outside of one's innate talents, and the liberating power of honesty both for individuals and organizations.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Premise: Can You Fake Your Working Genius?

• Lencioni sets the stage by declaring the focus:

  “Sometimes faking it till you make it is a good thing in life, and sometimes it’s really dangerous. And when it comes to your working geniuses, when you do that, I think really bad things happen.” (01:00)

• Faking skills or working in areas that are not one’s “genius” can be temporarily manageable, but almost always leads to burnout and emptiness.

2. Observable vs. Internal Geniuses

• The Working Genius model comprises W (Wonder), I (Invention), D (Discernment), G (Galvanizing), E (Enablement), and T (Tenacity).
• Observable Geniuses (G, E, T): Easier to imitate because their actions are visible—checklists, execution, support.
  • “You can actually see progress and activity...too many people are led to believe, well, I could do that even if they don’t have it as a genius.” (03:20)
• Internal Geniuses (W, I, D): The process is mostly mental/intuitive, and thus, hard to fake or even understand from the outside.
  • “Very few people that aren’t good at W I n D are going to go, I could do a job where that’s what was required of me.” (04:17)

3. Why “Making It” Doesn’t Mean Success

• Cody pushes back, pondering if one can become adept by faking—but wonders if “making it” is the right end goal:
  • “You can play a game that you don’t even really want to win. Like, you won a game faking tenacity that you didn’t really want to win in the first place.” (05:38)
• Lencioni’s reply: Real “making it” must include joy and fulfillment, not just competence; faking leads to misery and eventual burnout.
  • “If anything is eventually gonna lead to burnout, which is essentially gonna be failure, that’s not making it.” (06:06)

4. Relatable Stories and Metaphors

• Pat’s personal story: Two years in a job that required tenacity—he intellectually succeeded but suffered emotionally and physically:
  • “For two years when I was in that job, I thought, what is wrong with me? How come I can’t keep up with these people? Why are they finding this fun and easy, and I’m finding it miserable?” (00:01, repeated insight at 17:01)
• The gas leak story: He compares observing a technical expert (visible steps) and fooling oneself into believing one can just imitate—without the underlying skill or understanding. “I could fake it until I blow up my house, right? So it’s not making it.” (06:53)

5. Early Career Struggles & The Value of Honest Self-Assessment

• Cody describes his personal trajectory:
  • “Before working genius...I have enablement and tenacity as frustration...I just thought, well, yeah, I get why they call it work because this is not going to be fun for me for most of my life...I guess I’m just bad at work.” (09:34)
• Shift happened only when he got to engage with his true geniuses in different roles.
• Lencioni reflects on hiring and the tendency to wrongly assume “anyone should be able to do this.”
  • “They didn’t even think that I might not be good at that because...well, if you got good grades in school...anybody should be able to do this, right?” (11:38)
• Honest resumes and hiring: Cody jokes about writing an “honest resume” that includes, “I’m really not that great at following through in details,” exposing the pressure to hide one’s real strengths/limitations for job opportunities. (13:51)

6. When Faking Is Unavoidable—for Survival

• Acknowledgment: Sometimes people are forced by circumstances (survival, necessity) to take jobs outside their working genius. This is hard and deserves empathy and support. (14:52–16:07)
• Pat: “If a person just has to provide for their family and the only job available is something they’re not great at...we’re not looking beyond that.”
• For most people, however, faking it should be a last resort, not a strategy for career progression.

7. The Emotional Consequences

• Prolonged work outside one’s genius leads not just to burnout, but also guilt and a sense of deficiency.
  • “You can’t fake joy. And even if you can learn to live without joy and energy for a while, eventually it’s going to catch up with you.” (17:11)
• Message to new grads: Don’t sacrifice your well-being for the first job—seek alignment with your genuine gifts.
  • Pat’s story about advising a college senior to “hold out for something that’s a little closer to your geniuses and competencies.” (17:47)

8. Removing the Stigma: Leading Others Authentically

• Leaders and managers can offer the “greatest gift” by freeing team members from roles misaligned with their genius, reducing guilt and enabling true fulfillment.
  • “Help somebody realize you don’t have to feel guilty anymore. You don’t have to be pushing for burnout. Let’s help you rethink this. That could be the greatest gift in their career.” (18:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the temptation to imitate:

  “You can imitate or mimic somebody doing that kind of work because it’s more observational.” – Pat (03:03)

• Faking it and the reality of burnout:

  “You can play a game that you don’t even really want to win.” – Cody (05:38)
  “If anything is eventually gonna lead to burnout, which is essentially gonna be failure, that’s not making it.” – Pat (06:06)

• On hiring and honest self-awareness:

  “I would feel tempted because I wanted that job to put on there, I’ll figure out how to be detail oriented and execute on the details and push projects through to completion. But it would be signing me up for...misery and burnout and the world is going to keep taking it from you.” – Cody (14:24)

• On guilt and letting people off the hook:

  “That’s the, one of the best things that can happen is you can help somebody realize you don’t have to feel guilty anymore. You don’t have to be pushing for burnout.” – Pat (18:29)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:35] Topic introduction and premise: “Don’t fake it till you make it”
• [03:00] Why “get” work (Galvanizing, Enablement, Tenacity) is easier to mimic
• [05:00] Cody’s perspective: Observing vs. actually possessing a genius
• [06:00] Pat’s personal example of “making it” leading to misery
• [09:34] Cody’s early work struggle and realization on fit
• [11:38] The hiring trap—assuming skills are universal
• [13:51] The honest resume thought experiment
• [14:52] What about when circumstances force a bad fit?
• [17:01] The toll of faking—guilt, burnout, low confidence
• [18:30] Leaders freeing people from the guilt of ill-fitting roles

Conclusion

The episode repeatedly drives home the message: Faking proficiency in a type of work that doesn’t align with your innate genius might work in the short term, but it never results in long-term fulfillment, performance, or well-being. Both for individuals and organizations, the path to meaningful, joyful contribution lies in honest self-assessment and courageous placement—whether that means pursuing different roles or helping others find their real fit.

“Don’t fake it till you make it because you’re not really going to make it.” – Pat (18:43)