The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Quick-Start Guide

“We all have a couple of types of work that give us life—and a couple that quietly drain it.”

If your team has ever felt stuck, scattered, or exhausted, it’s tempting to blame broken systems or personalities. But what if the real issue isn’t dysfunction—it’s misalignment?

Welcome back to our Working Genius series. In Post 1, we explored the powerful idea that your team might not be broken — it might just be operating without a shared understanding of how people naturally contribute. Today, we’re giving you the crash course: a fast, friendly intro to The 6 Types of Working Genius and how they show up in real life.

Let’s meet the Geniuses.

✳️ What Is Working Genius (in 60 Seconds)?

The 6 Types of Working Genius model helps you understand what kind of work gives you energy and fulfillment, what kind you can do (but not for an extended time), and what kind flat-out drains you.

It’s not a personality tool — it’s a productivity tool. It’s less about how you relate and more about how you contribute. It's about the art of getting things done.

You can apply it to roles, meetings, hiring, collaboration, leadership, your partner — you name it. Once you understand the flow of work, getting people in the right seats is more effortless, as is doing work that lights them up instead of burning them out.

🧠 Meet the 6 Types of Working Genius

Let’s take bite-sized snapshots of the six Geniuses. Each one has a core contribution, energy source, and a common misunderstanding.

1. Wonder (W)

Asks big questions: “Why is this the way it is?” “Is there a better way to do this?”
Sees potential and possibility where others see “fine”
🧭 Strength: Questions assumptions, spots opportunity, loves ambiguity
❌ Misunderstood as: Slow, spacey, or disengaged

2. Invention (I)

Loves coming up with new and novel ways of solving problems from scratch
Thrives on brainstorming, creating new ideas, and blank whiteboards/pieces of paper
🧭 Strength: Original thinking and creative problem-solving
❌ Misunderstood as: Unrealistic, scattered, or disruptive

3. Discernment (D)

Has a gut sense of what will (or won’t) work
Vets ideas with intuition and pattern recognition
🧭 Strength: Judgment, insight, and qualitative decision-making
❌ Misunderstood as: Overly critical or opinionated

4. Galvanizing (G)

Rallies people and resources to take action
Brings energy and focus to move things forward
🧭 Strength: Inspires momentum and mobilizes teams
❌ Misunderstood as: Pushy or loud

5. Enablement (E)

Provides practical, timely help to others responding to the call of the Galvanizer
Loves being asked to jump in and contribute
🧭 Strength: Responsive, supportive, and cooperative
❌ Misunderstood as: Passive or people-pleasing

6. Tenacity (T)

Finishes what others start on time, on budget, on agreed standards
Focused on goals, deadlines, and final deliverables
🧭 Strength: Follow-through, overcoming obstacles, and finishing power
❌ Misunderstood as: Rigid or overly task-focused

🔄 The Three Stages of Work

Every project, plan, or initiative — big or small — moves through a natural arc:

Ideation → Wonder + Invention
Activation → Discernment + Galvanizing
Implementation → Enablement + Tenacity

Which stage is the most important not to skip? The answer may surprise you but that's for another post.

🧩 No One Has All Six

Here’s the key insight: you only get two Geniuses.

The other four? Two are Competencies (you can do them, but working on them for an extended time drains you), and two are Frustrations (they flat-out drain you).

This isn’t a flaw — it's who you are! Understanding your Working Genius profile helps you:

Appreciate those around you and the geniuses they bring to the table
Ask for the right kind of help
Give others grace for what doesn’t come naturally
Stop trying to be all six

Because when you stop forcing what frustrates you, you free up energy for your geniuses.

💡 Why This Matters

When team members lean into their geniuses and fill in each other’s gaps, things start clicking:

Less burnout
Faster progress and iteration
Clearer communication and alignment
Better results

When teams ignore this, you get meetings that never end, half-baked ideas, or projects that start strong but never finish.

Working Genius gives you a shared language to avoid those traps — and build teams that work.

🔚 So … What’s Your Genius?

If this post sparked a gut, “That’s me” reaction — pay attention to that.

Most people can guess their Working Genius profile before ever taking the assessment. So, take a guess. What types of work energize and fulfill you? What types drain you? Hint: it's the types you usually procrastinate.

When you’re ready to go deeper, the official Working Genius assessment will give you a full profile — and the language to explain it to others. Book an individual profile session now, and let's discover your geniuses together!

👉 Next up in the series: How Working Genius compares to other tools — and why your team might finally get some traction.