Episode Details

“You know, at the core of Working Genius, what it does is it allows us to avoid guilt and judgment—guilt about ourselves and judgment of others.”

That’s Patrick Lencioni, bestselling author and organizational health expert, talking about his breakthrough Working Genius productivity framework on the Sales Gravy podcast. If you’re leading a sales team, this explains why high performers thrive in some roles and burn out in others.

Right now, you probably have high performers who are miserable, rockstars who’ve lost their spark, and top reps who suddenly can’t hit quota. And you’re wondering—did you hire wrong, did someone lose their edge, or do you need to have “the conversation”?

What if the problem isn’t the person at all? 

The Real Reason Your Best People Are Struggling

Not all work is created equal, and your sales reps aren’t wired to do all of it.

Lencioni stumbled on this insight while reflecting on himself. He’d show up to work loving his job and the people he worked with, yet swing from energized to frustrated without understanding why. 

His colleague asked, “Why are you like that?” Over a few hours, Lencioni and his team pinpointed six distinct types of work. Depending on which type you’re doing, you’re either energized or drained.

Five years later, over 1.5 million people have taken the Working Genius assessment. Why? Most organizations force talented people into work that drains them, then blame them when they struggle.

Most sales leaders hire a closer for their ability to seal deals, then wonder why they can’t prospect. They promote a quota-crusher into management, then watch them implode under administrative responsibilities. Or move an account manager into new business development and act shocked when performance tanks.

The talent was there all along, but their positioning was wrong.

Six Types of Work—and Why Most People Only Excel at Two

Patrick Lencioni identified six distinct types of work that exist in every organization:

1. Wonder (W): Spotting opportunities, asking big-picture questions
2. Invention (I): Creating new solutions, processes, or systems
3. Discernment (D): Evaluating ideas, figuring out what will work
4. Galvanizing (G): Rallying the team, getting people moving
5. Enablement (E): Supporting others, clearing obstacles, making things happen
6. Tenacity (T): Following through, finishing tasks, closing deals

Here’s what matters: most people are strong in two, competent in two, and are drained by the remaining two.

And there are no good or bad geniuses. Your closer with natural Tenacity isn’t more valuable than your strategic thinker with Wonder and Discernment. Your rep who rallies the team (Galvanizing) isn’t better than the one who quietly enables everyone behind the scenes. Different geniuses are valuable in different ways. The goal is to build a team where all six are represented, and people work in their areas of strength.

Force someone into work that drains them, and sales team performance tanks. Leave them in their genius zones, and energy and results skyrocket.

Stop Judging Your People (And Yourself)

You’ve probably got a rep right now