Cultivating Leadership: Six Types of Working Genius

by Lisa Davis - April 1, 2026

In a recent episode of the Cultivating Leadership with Extension podcast, Dr. Julie Robinson sat down with Dr. Steve Siegelin to explore Patrick Lencioni’s book, The Six Types of Working Genius, and what it means for leaders in extension and beyond. Their conversation highlighted a simple but powerful idea: the work we do every day is not created equal, and our satisfaction rises when we spend more time in the kinds of work that energize us.

Watch recording here.

Lencioni’s model describes six “working geniuses” that show up across any major project: Wonder, Invention, Discernment, Galvanizing, Enablement, and Tenacity. These fall into three phases of work—ideation, activation, and implementation—offering a practical map of how ideas move from “What if?” to “It’s done.”

In the podcast, Siegelin explains that each person typically has two areas of genius, two competencies, and two frustrations, and that much of our burnout comes from spending too much time working out of those frustrations. 

The fable at the heart of The Six Types of Working Genius feels especially relevant for extension professionals. Lencioni’s main character (inspired by his own career) has what looks like a dream trajectory—good jobs, promotions, even his own firm—yet in each job he eventually ends up dreading Monday mornings. Only when a trusted colleague asks the blunt question, “What’s wrong with you?” does he begin to recognize that he is leading from an area that is actually a working frustration, not a genius. That honest conversation sparks the development of the Working Genius framework and a new way of organizing work on his team.  

Siegelin and Robinson connect this turning point to Lencioni’s earlier work, especially The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and The Ideal Team Player. It took both trust and humility—two core themes in those books—for the team to name what wasn’t working and sit down together the same day to sort it out. For extension leaders, that raises an important question: Do our teams have enough relational trust to surface hard truths about misaligned roles, and do we as leaders model the humility to hear them? 

The Working Genius assessment, which can be taken online for a modest fee, gives individuals a starting point for that conversation. However, as Siegelin notes, the real value is not just knowing your own results; it is using them to adjust how the team works.

In the fable, Lencioni’s firm redistributed responsibilities—regardless of title—so that people who love galvanizing and enablement take on more of that work, while others focus on ideation or discernment. Extension offices may not be able to rewrite job descriptions overnight, but they can intentionally assign project roles—such as brainstorming, vetting ideas, rallying partners, or closing out details—based on where staff members experience the most energy. 

For those already familiar with Leadership Lunch and Learn favorites like The Ideal Team Player, this book is a natural next step. Watch LLL book review here. Where Lencioni first helped us think about who we invite onto the team, The Six Types of Working Genius helps us think about how we ask those people to contribute once they are on the bus. For Extension professionals juggling programs, partnerships, and community expectations, that shift—from “Who is on the team?” to “Are they in the right role?”—may be the key to reducing frustration while increasing both impact and joy in our work.

The new Cultivating Leadership with Extension podcast series supplements our Leadership Lunch and Learn series featuring leadership experts from across the south. Each presenter reviews a leadership development book. The series gives you the opportunity to hear the cliff notes version of many popular leadership development books. Join us for future podcasts.