The 6 Types of Working Genius: How Understanding Your Strengths Can Reduce Burnout, Improve Relationships, and Support Career Growth
Lisa Marie Bobby, PhD, LMFT, BCC
Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby is a licensed psychologist, licensed marriage and family therapist, board-certified coach, AAMFT clinical supervisor, host of the Love, Happiness, and Success Podcast and founder of Growing Self.
What if the path to greater success and happiness isn’t about pushing harder or fixing yourself, but about finally understanding your working genius and how you’re wired to thrive, with the support of professional coaching and counseling services or guidance from an experienced life coach?
So many capable, driven people quietly carry frustration or self-doubt. They work hard, care deeply about their career, their relationships, and their sense of purpose, yet still feel stressed, burned out, or perpetually behind. Over time, that stress often turns inward. Why does this feel so hard for me when it seems easier for everyone else?
In my conversation with Patrick Lencioni, author of The Six Types of Working Genius, we explored a powerful reframe. Burnout is rarely a sign of laziness or lack of discipline. More often, it’s a sign that you’re spending too much of your time doing work that drains you, and not enough time doing the work that brings clarity, energy, and momentum.
Burnout and Stress Often Come From Misalignment, Not Overwork
One of the most relieving ideas Patrick shares is that burnout isn’t simply about doing too much. While rest matters, it doesn’t always solve the deeper issue.
Burnout often grows out of chronic misalignment. When your day-to-day responsibilities pull you away from your natural skills, stress builds quietly. Over time, this mirrors patterns I see in people who feel constantly overwhelmed, a theme I explore more deeply in Are You Living in Constant Overwhelm? Learn How to Declutter Your Life to Improve Well-Being & Feel Happier.
This kind of misalignment also drains focus and motivation, much like what I describe in Stop Wasting Your Energy: How to Focus on What Actually Matters.
What Is the Working Genius Framework?
The Working Genius framework identifies the 6 types of working genius present in any meaningful project, whether at work, at home, or in relationships:
- Wonder
- Invention
- Discernment
- Galvanizing
- Enablement
- Tenacity
Each person has two types of work that give them energy and joy, two they can do competently with effort, and two that consistently drain them. The working genius assessment gives language to these patterns.
Instead of asking What’s wrong with me?, people begin asking a more useful question: What kind of work actually allows me to function at my best? That shift alone can uncover obstacles that quietly limit personal greatness, a theme also explored in Bringing Out Your Best: How to Discover Your Strengths.
Working Genius and Career Growth
When people understand their working genius, career growth stops being about forcing yourself into roles that don’t fit. Instead, growth becomes about alignment.
Many professionals assume success requires mastering tasks that drain them. Over time, that belief contributes to stalled momentum and resentment. In reality, sustainable growth often comes from reshaping roles so people spend more time using their natural strengths. This idea aligns closely with Career Pathing: How to Find Your Passion and What Am I Doing With My Life? How to Create a Career Aligned with YOU.
Leadership follows the same principle, which is why this framework pairs naturally with How to Become Influential: Everyday Leadership That Creates Change.
