← The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni
The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni
87. “Quit Your Job” and Start Living Your Genius
00:16:36
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- [00:01]
A
What would I love to do that would give me joy? And probably that's where I'm going to be able to maximize my earnings, too. It might not be perfect. Not everybody can do exactly that thing, but I think everybody don't wait for retirement to retire in place and adjust what you're doing to fit what gives you energy. Welcome to the Working genius podcast, where we discuss any, anything and everything having to do with the six types of working genius and how it impacts your work and your life. I'm Pat Lyncione, your host, joined by Cody Thompson, my co host. How you doing today, Cody?
- [00:37]
B
Not bad.
- [00:39]
A
Very good.
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B
Very good is the same way of saying good, but in different words. So I'm nailing it.
- [00:45]
A
Very good. You're in Utah, I'm in Tennessee. And what are we going to talk about today, Cody? What's the title?
- [00:50]
B
Quit your job in quotes. Oh, this video. So I don't have to tell you it's in quotes. Quit your job today.
- [00:57]
A
That's right. And you know, we were going to talk about retirement, but not really about people retiring. I mean, we're going to touch on that, but we think everyone should retire today. Remember in on the at the Table podcast years ago, we talked about when's the best time to plant a tree? 10 years ago. You know, and the second best time is today.
- [01:16]
B
Yep.
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A
And the best time to retire and stop working, but doing something you love was 10 years ago or today. Now, this can sound really simplistic or Pollyanna ish if we're like, come on, just quit that job. We have financial requirements and real practical ones, too. But let's start with somebody who's retiring. Let's say there's somebody listening to this and they're 65 or they're 62 and they're retiring or whatever age they're retiring at, and they don't have to work anymore because they've arranged things financially. And now what should they do next? Well, so many people that retire really pay attention to their working genius, to what makes them happy, what gives them joy and energy. And so they go, I guess I have to go fishing or golfing or, or watch TV or do something. And they devolve into. And they're not happy, they're not joyful, and they're not energized. Of course, one person's trash is another person's treasure. Some people's idea of retiring is like, to me, sounds terrible. And they're like, this would be a blast. So what I say to people that are retiring is now fully engage in the things you like most. And the best way to look at that is your working genius. I remember when my dad retired, God rest his soul, and he was an et, I'm pretty sure. And when he retired, he stopped having responsibility. And my dad loved responsibility. That's what he, he was really practical and got things done. He could have done almost any job and found joy in it. He was that kind of guy. But he didn't because he thought, well, I'm retired, I'm not supposed to do that. And I think it really hurt him. And he felt a sense of lack of purpose. And so whether you're an ET or a wi, when you retire and you don't need the money, you definitely should go do what you just love doing the most. But for most of us, even in our current jobs, it's time for us to say, what would I love to do that would give me joy? And probably that's where I'm going to be able to maximize my earnings too. It might not be perfect. Not everybody can do exactly that thing, but I think everybody don't wait for retirement to retire in place and adjust what you're doing to fit what gives you energy.
- [03:32]
B
Yeah, it's interesting the way you laid that out. We didn't talk about this beforehand, but the idea for me, I think we have maybe some bad words we should unpack because we talk about work, and then we're like, when you don't do work, that's when you're done working, you can retire. Right. And. And I think this is some of what the nuance we're getting at is actually.
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A
Great point.
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B
No, all of life, we do activity, like, I don't know the right word to, to do that, but it's like. And there are certain things, activities that you can do in the context of a job or out of the context of a job that actually can give you joy and energy. And so everybody thinks the finish line is when I don't have to quote, unquote, work, and then they have no idea what comes after that. But it's like if you. It actually gives us a container to think about activities that bring joy, regardless of what context you're in.
- [04:26]
A
Yeah. You know, it's so funny because I, when I, when we came up with this, I said, really? This would be the six types of doing genius. You, you know, not working genius. But we said, most people think about work. But think about, when you ask somebody, you say to them, what do you do for a living? What do you do? And the idea is, what do you involve yourself into? Activities that supports your life, but it's really about what you like to do. And that's the idea of having a great job, is when I get to do things I like. And like, before working genius, I thought that was like, a certain field or a certain thing. It's actually the kind of activities that feed me.
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B
Yeah. And.
- [05:03]
A
And this isn't about. So we called it quit your job today. We wanted to get people's attention, but it doesn't mean you have to leave the company where you work. Maybe what you need to do is go sit down with your boss or the people you work with and say, hey, this is what I love and I'm really good at. How can I do more of this here? Yeah, maybe they're going to say, we don't have any of that here. And then I would say, definitely at any stage in your life, see if there's other places where you could do what you love to do for a living.
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B
Yeah. It's so funny because you ask people, what do you do? And that means, where do you work? And then we say, well, what do you do for fun? Then we say, when you're not doing that, what do you do for fun? And we've never. What it's done for me is. Here's a great example. Pat, you love. You tell me all the time. Our podcast is one of my most favorite things that we do at work. Well, that's like, are you going to retire and not have conversations like this? Like, that's not the point. Is that.
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A
Right.
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B
You like the conversation because it's some of its invention and some of its discernment, and we get to play around with ideas. And so, like, in some ways, you know, we almost talked about, like, retire as early as you can, meaning do the work that you love. There's, like, moments in my day that feel like retirement or joy and energy. And it's like I can look at other meetings and go, that meeting sounds a little bit more like work, like the way we think about work, because it's outside of what gives me joy and energy. But. But working genius gives you this perspective to say you can actually do things you love, whether you're in the building of your work or out aside of the building of your work, whether you're getting a paycheck or no paycheck for that activity. But knowing what that is is super important.
- [06:51]
A
Absolutely. And it isn't Pollyanna ish. It's like, we've talked to a guy who was going in for a performance review and he brought his working gen genius report and he had had a horrible year. And he showed it to his boss and his boss's boss and said, before we talk about my, my performance, can you take a look at this? And they looked at his, his working genius and they said, well, you're in the wrong job. No wonder you're struggling. And they found a job utilizing his genius. Essentially, he was retiring. He was saying, I'm not going to look at work as separate from what I do and what I love to do. I'm going to find a way to incorporate that. Now, if you were to ask me what I love to do for fun, I would say, I love to go to movies and I do enjoy golfing with friends. That doesn't mean I'm going to make that what I do for a living. In fact, I will tell you this. If somebody said, you have to become a professional golfer, literally, if somebody came up to me today and said, I will pay you the same amount of money you're making right now to golf every day, I would be miserable because I like it because it's a hobby. But it would be a grind for me to do that. It's meant to be an occasional break for fun. What I get to do at work is what I actually do love to do every day. And I want more and more people to do that. And the funny thing is, people tend to think then it has to be something really sexy. Well, what, what, what is that? It's whatever fits your personality. And like my dad, God rest his soul, I love my dad. I think he could have worked at a donut shop and, and he'd have been like, I'm running this donut shop and I'm responsible. I have to open it, I have to close it. I want to help all the people that get donuts. I mean, what he could have done anything that involved responsibility and it would have made him feel really engaged because that's how he was. But when he retired, he didn't, he didn't have any formal responsibility. He really needed to go out and get another job because that would have provided that context for him. So whether you're a wi, an ET or anything in between, there's something that you're meant to be doing and if you can do it early in life, it's really great.
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B
Yeah, I love the context of that and just to get people to think differently. Because, like, as you were saying it, one of the things I Volunteered to coach my daughter's basketball team. A bunch of 5 year olds running or 6 year olds running around a basketball floor. And all the parents were coming up like, thank you so much for doing this. And I was like, well, I like galvanizing, you know, like, it's all galvanizing. I was just like, you need to get over there and let's change the play. And figuring out, like, how to help them understand what we needed to do and on the court, which you, Whether that translates or not is a different story. But they, they all thought like, well, that's such a sacrifice for you. And I was like, oh, no, actually this is fun for me. I, I enjoy it. So. And that's not the, you know, and, and then to take that, whatever that is, first you have to know what it is. And then you have to organize your day around that or as much as you can at work or outside of work. And it's not just a fishing or golfing versus being in an office. Those are not the ways to think about what brings you joy and energy.
- [09:59]
A
Exactly. And I love the way you said too, because here's the other thing people can say, well, I have a job right now. Well, I would say recreate that job or revise that job to better suit your working genius. And there's far more latitude to do this than we think. Now. It's not complete latitude. I used to be a bank teller. Well, I'm an ID and an ENFP in Myers Briggs. It was the worst job in the world for me because it was about precision and doing things, policy and procedure. I was out of balance almost every night. It was a misery. But I even tried to make that job well suited to me. I'd invent new games for us to play. I'd interact with the customers. I would, I turned it into fun for me. That was a bad job to try to do that with. But there's very few situations where we're locked into a job where we can't do that. And like they said, you're going to coach your daughter's team. You go, I'm going to be a dg. I'm going to encourage them. I'm going to rally them around things and I just need a little bit of discernment to go. They're not going to do that, that exercise. I'm not even going to make them do that. Well, an ET doing that job would go about it in a different way. Do what you do in the way that gives you joy and energy. And most of our jobs are not being a bank teller where it's very structured. Figure out a way to exercise your working genius no matter what you're doing. Then you. It'll feel like, gosh, I've retired. People ask me all the time, pat, when are you going to retire from the table? And I always feel bad, like, why don't I not. I'm not looking forward to that. I'm just going to keep evolving this job to do what people need that coincides with what I like to do. And as long as we get paid for that and I can afford to pay my mortgage and do all that, I'm the luckiest guy in the world. It's not about how much money I make. It's about, do I get to use the talents God gave me in a way that sustains my living.
- [11:44]
B
Well, it's interesting, too. The one request that we get, this will be fun to talk about on the podcast, is like, people will take working genius and they expect, like, hey, where's the page in the report where you tell me what job I should get based on my working genius? And I think this is sort of the sentiment we're trying to convey to people is like, no, no, no, there isn't a title for you. It's the way you think about the job that you have and the way you organize or show up to the job that you have. Because when we say that any, any leader, any job, you can do it in the way that serves your working genius. You know, some jobs are. Require you to do certain things one way or, or a different way. But the idea that, like, I approach, like, I'm whatever, I'm the COO of the table group or whatever, that to me, that's just discernment and galvanizing. I'm just like, okay, so we're going to figure out the right plan and we're going to. We're going to get everybody, you know, motivated around the plan, you know, and your way of running your job is invention and discernment. And we were just with a leader of an organization who's an enablement, tenacity leader, and the way he approaches his job is that way. That's great. We need the other people. And I think when I think it's important because when people say, like, so what job do I have? It's like, no, no, no. It gives you a lens to think about the job that you have differently. And yeah, two different activities in that.
- [13:09]
A
And something you've always said, Cody, is like, working genius is Going to de Emphasize job titles like nothing else because it's like, I'm a teacher. Okay, well, what kind of a teacher? Well, I'm a DE teacher, which means I. I'm the enthusiastic encourager. Well, I'm a DT teacher, which means I'm going to figure out exactly what they need to learn, and we're going to help them learn that I'm an ID teacher. I'm going to be creative and come up with new ways. They're all valid as long as we know who we are. We go to the people around us. Like, if you're a teacher, the other teachers, your teacher's aide, and the parents and say, this is who I am. And the best teacher I can be is to do it in a way that gives me joy and energy, and I'll. I'll connect to the kids that way. So it's not about quitting your job. It's about quitting your job and thinking you have to do it in a certain way.
- [13:57]
B
Yep.
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A
And. And so I love that it's like your job title, Cody, if you. I hired you because of your values and you're. And you get what we do and you love what we do, but if you had a different working genius type and I made you the CEO or president, I would be. You would be doing that job differently based on what your working genius is. It's not that I needed just what you did. I need you to be you. And if you go to your boss or your colleagues and say, how can I be more myself? They will probably help you retire into the job that best suits you. And I don't mean it's going to be a different job. It's going to be doing it in the way that gives you joy and energy.
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B
And we've said many times that every job has all six letters. Like, you have to do things that you don't like to do. But it is sort of interesting that when I say I'm going to be the basketball coach, my wife has tenacity. The only part about the basketball coaching thing that would drain me is sending the text to the family and organizing who's bringing snacks. And what we tend to do is go, because that would hurt. That would be bad for me. Other people will hate that. But when you. So when I ask my wife, I'm like, hey, I'm happy to do the coaching on the floor thing. Will you handle the other stuff? But she actually likes that. And we just don't do that enough with people to say, like, wait, you Actually, we can both retire. Actually, we can both quit the part of the job that we hate. Let me do the part that I love, and let me give to you the part that you love that doesn't suit my needs.
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A
And.
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B
And then everybody's doing the thing that they enjoy, and it's early retirement.
- [15:34]
A
Exactly. And when that guy went to his boss and gave him the performance review and said, hey, there's my working genius, they didn't go like, oh, well, we'll do you a favor. They were like, we need somebody to do this, and it allowed them to retire, but they found somebody that could do a job that suited them. There's. There's a ripple effect in your organization where other people get to retire a little bit more, too. I love that you said that. That's a great way to look at. At it. And I think that's all we want to say today, is this. Don't think. I love what you said, Cody. Work is really what you do, and you should get joy and energy out of that. Not all the time, but figure out a way to start retiring now and better to do it now. Ten years ago would have been good. This is the next best time. All right. All righty. Hey, Cody, thanks for joining us. Everybody else, thanks for being with us today. We love talking to you on Working Genius podcast, and we'll talk to you next time. God bless Sam.