123. The Subtleties of Activation

Could you be judging someone’s Working Genius based on the wrong expectations?

In episode 123 of the Working Genius Podcast, Pat Lencioni and Cody Thompson explore whether someone can truly be bad at an area of Working Genius and why a genuine genius can sometimes appear ineffective to others. They unpack the influence of genius pairings, assessment bias, timing, context, environment, and the specific problem someone is trying to solve. The conversation also reveals the surprising danger of becoming exceptionally good at work that drains you, especially when that competence causes others to keep asking you to do more of it.

Topics explored in this episode:

(00:00) Can You Actually Be Bad at Your Genius?

• Pat introduces the question of whether someone can genuinely have a Working Genius while appearing to be ineffective in that area.
• Pat and Cody consider inaccurate assessment results, lack of practice, and the distinction between natural genius and learned capability.

(04:26) Your Pairing Changes Everything

• Cody explains how a person’s second genius can dramatically change what the first genius looks like in practice.
• Pat and Cody contrast different forms of Invention and explain why comparing someone to a narrow definition of a genius can lead to false conclusions.

(08:28) The Danger of Mastering Your Frustrations

• Pat and Cody discuss why becoming highly skilled at work that drains you can create a trap where others continually expect that work from you.
• Pat describes how years of succeeding through his Working Frustrations ultimately contributed to a strong aversion to finishing and execution-oriented tasks.

(12:00) Right Genius, Wrong Time

• Cody explains how a genius used out of sequence or directed toward the wrong problem can appear destructive, annoying, or ineffective.
• Pat and Cody explore how timing, restraint, context, and the quality of the underlying opportunity all influence whether a genius produces a useful result.

(16:09) How Environment Shapes Your Genius

• Pat and Cody caution against labeling someone as bad at their genius without first considering pairing, context, timing, and the environment in which that genius developed.
• They close by examining how family, culture, comparison, and past experience can shape a person’s understanding of what strong performance in a genius actually looks like.

This episode of The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni is brought to you by The Table Group: www.tablegroup.com. We teach leaders how to make work more effective and less dysfunctional. We also help their employees be more fulfilled and less miserable.

The Six Types of Working Genius model helps you discover your natural gifts and thrive in your work and life. When you’re able to better understand the types of work that bring you more energy and fulfillment and avoid work that leads to frustration and failure, you can be more self-aware, more productive, and more successful.

Take the assessment today to discover your natural gifts and thrive at work: https://workinggenius.me/about

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This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co.