The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts

This book is based on two undeniable truths.

First, people who utilize their natural, God-given talents are much more fulfilled and successful than those who don’t.

Second, teams and organizations that help people tap into their God-given talents are much more successful and productive than those that don’t.

As obvious as all this may be, the reality remains that most people aren’t terribly fulfilled in their work, which makes sense because most people don’t really understand their work-related gifts. As a result, most teams don’t come anywhere close to tapping into their members’ talents and achieving their true potential. The question that has to be asked is, why haven’t we solved this problem yet?

It’s certainly not because we haven’t tried. There are several wonderful tools out there that help us better understand our personalities and our preferences. I’ve been using many of them for years. The problem has always been trying to figure out how they translate to the day-to-day experience of doing real work, of every kind, and with teammates who have different gifts.

I am happy to be able to say that The Six Types of Working Genius solves that very problem! Not only does it provide a framework for quickly understanding your unique talents, it does so within the context of a new model for how any type of work gets done. In other words, it’s as much a productivity tool as it is a personality model.

I have to admit that I didn’t sit down one day to try to solve this problem; it came about largely by accident. I was simply struggling with my own fluctuations between joy and exasperation at work, and someone (thank you, Amy!) asked me the big question: Why are you like this? It wasn’t an accusation or a judgment, but a real question asked out of curiosity and a desire to help me figure out why I was too frequently frustrated working in my own company, with good friends, in a field that I thoroughly enjoyed. I had no idea that answering that question would provoke the advent of the model that I present in this book. And I certainly didn’t know that it would lead to an assessment that has already proven more practical and immediately helpful in changing people’s lives—including my own—than anything we’ve ever done at The Table Group. From finding more joy in their jobs, to having a better understanding of their spouse or children, to reorganizing their teams to better align with team members’ geniuses, we have been gladly overwhelmed by the stories sent to us by people who have found immediate and lasting relief through the Working Genius Model and Assessment.

Like most of my books, the first part is a fable that provides a fictional—but realistic—story around Working Genius and its application. The second part is a thorough overview of the model itself. I pray that The Six Types of Working Genius will allow you, and those you work with, to become the people God created you to be, and that your team, organization, and even family will benefit as a result.