This week I’m beginning a short series on career and personality assessments. Each week I will announce the winner of a different category (think Oscars and Grammys). I tested the effectiveness of over 20 assessments in my work with students as a college and career advisor. I have also taken these assessments myself. Some have been more accurate than others, and some have been more helpful than others. What I wanted to do is highlight a few of the best. Here is our first winner.
Winner- Quick Team Wins… The 6 Types of Working Genius!
The 6 Types of Working Genius is the winner of the highly sought-after “Quick Team Wins” category. Here is a bit more about the test and how Patrick Lencioni’s assessment rose to the top of the list. But first, a few thoughts on career and personality assessments.
A Word on Career and Personality Assessments
The idea of being able to take a quick 10-minute test to figure out what you want to do with your life, while alluring, is of course ridiculous. I do, however, think that certain assessments have value. I think the best tests give language to something you feel inside you, something you could otherwise not explain. In that way, they are great conversation starters because, through this new language or framework, you are given a new set of lenses to see yourself and the people around you. When paired with conversations and real-life experiences, some can actually lead to lasting change in our career direction or how we work. In addition, taking a few different tests can be helpful because certain themes will begin to emerge.
Here is more information about the winner of the “Quick Team Wins” category.
6 Types of Working Genius
Best-selling author Patrick Lencioni created this assessment in 2020. He is the president of the Table Group, a company that helps build healthy organizations and cohesive teams. Like many others, I originally heard about Patrick and his organization through his book, 5 Dysfunctions of a Team. If you are not familiar with the test, here are the six types of working genius.
The Six Types
The Genius of Wonder: the gift of pondering the possibility of greater potential and opportunity in a given situation
The Genius of Invention: the gift of creating original and novel ideas and solutions
The Genius of Discernment: the gift of intuitively and instinctively evaluating ideas and situations
The Genius of Galvanizing: the gift of rallying, inspiring and organizing others to take action
The Genius of Enablement: the gift of providing encouragement and assistance for an idea or project
The Genius of Tenacity: the gift of pushing projects or tasks to completion to achieve results
Why The 6 Types of Working Genius Is A Winner
This is the set of questions that I ask myself when determining if a career and personality assessment could be helpful to me or my students and clients.
Accuracy: Was the test an accurate picture of my lived experience and what other people say about me? Did other people find the test accurate?
I thought the test was fairly accurate when considering my lived experience and what people say about me. I was pinned as having the genius of wonder: the gift of pondering the possibility of greater potential and opportunity in a given situation. The lines up the times that I’m pondering something while driving and my wife yells at me for forgetting the turn.
Research: Is the assessment backed by science? Is there a large sampling of data to support the validity of the results?
This assessment has not been around very long and does not claim to be backed by extensive research or data. This, in itself, is not a reason to doubt the assessment. Its sheer popularity and high reviews prove that it is benefitting individuals and organizations.
Applicable: Could I instantly apply some of the results to better myself or my team?
This is where the assessment shines and why it was picked as the winner of the “Quick Team Wins” category. The assessment takes any type of work or task and breaks it down into six categories. The categories are more or less sequential in nature, so there is a clear order that you can visualize in your mind. For instance, if your company makes picture frames you need someone who can ponder new picture frame styles (wonder), someone who can create a new frame (invention), someone who can intuitively evaluate which styles would sell best (discernment), someone to rally people to begin making the frames (galvanizing), someone willing to jump in and help with the process (enablement) and someone to take the new picture frame project to the finish line (tenacity). This clear sequence allows leaders to determine if they are placing their team members in the right place.
Inspiring: Did the assessment create an exciting vision for how I’m wired and what I could do in the future?
On an individual level, you will probably not hear people at your work shouting, “I’m an enabler!” or “I’m a wonderer!” from the rooftops. I think some of the titles are more engaging and inspiring, but overall I don’t see people connecting and identifying with their working genius like I do in other assessment frameworks. In addition, because it is more focused on a working environment, it does not connect to personal life in a natural way. There are obvious overlaps, but it takes work. When people show up to work, they do not transform into a different person. Placing an emphasis on our gifts at work is helpful in some ways, but discounts the fact that we can use these gifts in our professional and personal lives.
Lasting Change: Did the assessment have a lasting impact beyond some immediate wins or conversations?
I believe the simplicity and applicable nature of the test allows for the possibility of lasting change. The way the test breaks down work into six components can reveal strengths and weaknesses on an organizational and individual level, creating more effective and sustainable processes for teams and organizations.
Cost: I’ll provide the current asking price for each assessment.
As of December 2024, individual assessments are priced at $25.
Overall, I found the assessment helpful! It is best suited for existing teams and organizations. It is not meant to point people in a specific career direction; instead, it will show how you can be an effective member of a team in ANY industry. You can learn more about the assessment at workinggenius.com. If you have taken the 6 Types of Working Genius, I’d love to hear from you! Was the assessment helpful to you and your team? What is your working genius?
