The Working Genius Assessment for Individuals or Teams

Q: How is Working Genius different from DISC® or other assessments?

DISC® measures how you communicate and behave. Working Genius measures what type of work energizes vs. drains you. They're complementary. DISC® helps you understand communication styles, Working Genius helps you organize who does what. Working Genius isn’t about avoiding hard work, it’s about avoiding sustained misalignment that leads to burnout, friction, and stalled execution

What Working Genius Measures

Based on Patrick Lencioni's framework, Working Genius identifies where each person naturally thrives and where their energy is drained.

Every project moves through six stages. These six types align with three predictable stages of work: Ideation, Activation, and Implementation. Most breakdowns occur when teams skip stages or depend on the wrong genius at the wrong moment.

Most people have natural genius in two areas, competency in two, and frustration in two.

When you understand this for your entire team, you can reorganize work so people spend time in their genius instead of grinding through tasks that drain them: productivity improves, frustrations drop, projects move.

Clarify Who Should Do What at Each Stage of Work

Identify Where Work Is Draining Teams — And Redesign It

Improve Meeting Effectivity

Make Better Hiring And Role Decisions

Reduce Execution Friction Caused by Unclear Decisions and Handoffs

Ideation

Wonder (W)

Pondering possibilities and asking "Is there a better way?"
They see potential that others miss.

Invention (I)

Brainstorming solutions and creating new ideas.
They get joy from turning an idea into something tangible.

Activation

Discernment (D)

Evaluating ideas and giving good feedback.
They have an instinct for saving you from bad decisions.

Galvanizing (G)

Rallying people and generating enthusiasm.
They get others excited and moving in the right direction.

Implementation

Enablement (E)

Supporting and helping realize the vision.
They know how to help, when to help, and flex to what needs to happen.

Tenacity (T)

Pushing tasks to completion and ensuring quality.
They make sure it gets done right.

Individual Assessments

Each team member completes a 10-15-minute online assessment revealing their two areas of genius, two areas of competency, and two areas of frustration.

Personalized Profiles

Detailed reports explaining what each genius means, how it shows up in work, and how to leverage it (or avoid burnout when working outside it).

Team Genius Map

Visual representation of your entire team's geniuses and frustrations, showing where you're strong, where you have gaps, and how to reorganize work accordingly.

Leader Playbook

Custom playbooks for each team member, showing exactly how to delegate, structure meetings, and assign projects based on who thrives where.

Working Genius Workshop

Half-day or full-day facilitated workshop where your team practices recognizing Working Genius in real time, reorganizes current projects, and creates ongoing systems for genius-aligned work distribution. Individual debriefs are integrated into the workshop as needed. Available virtually or in-person.

Learn more →

Working Genius Debrief

Individual Working Genius debrief (30–60 minutes) where Tracy walks through your results, reviews the Team Genius Map, identifies work distribution gaps, and helps you make immediate role and focus adjustments.

Transformation by Design

Our signature, comprehensive engagement, combining Working Genius with other assessments to address alignment across eight performance pillars — role clarity, team dynamics, accountability systems, and strategic execution.

How is Working Genius different from DISC® or other assessments?

DISC® measures how you communicate and behave. Working Genius measures what type of work energizes vs. drains you.

They're complementary. DISC® helps you understand communication styles, Working Genius helps you organize who does what.

Working Genius isn’t about avoiding hard work, it’s about avoiding sustained misalignment that leads to burnout, friction, and stalled execution

Can individuals take Working Genius, or is it team-only?

Individuals can absolutely take it for self-awareness, but the real power is in the team application. When everyone knows each other's geniuses, you can borrow strengths and reorganize work strategically.

What if someone's genius doesn't match their current role?

That's valuable data. You have three options:

Adjust the role to include more genius work
Redistribute tasks to other team members with that genius
Acknowledge the person is in the wrong role and make a change

Often, small adjustments (not full role changes) make a huge difference.

How long does the assessment take?

10-15 minutes per person. It's one of the quickest, highest-impact, self-paced assessments available.

Do we need a workshop, or is the assessment enough?

The assessment alone gives you valuable insights and a Team Genius Map. Add a debrief session to translate insights into action.

A full workshop is beneficial if you want facilitated team exercises, deeper integration, and ongoing accountability systems built around genius alignment.

Can we do this virtually?

Yes. Assessments are online, and debrief sessions work great via Zoom. In-person is also available if you prefer.

What if we already use another productivity framework?

Working Genius integrates seamlessly with EOS, Scaling Up, or any other operating system. It adds a layer of clarity about who should do what within your existing structure.

How do we use Working Genius for hiring?

Once you understand which genius a role requires, you can ask targeted questions in interviews:

"Tell me about a time you pushed a project across the finish line" (Tenacity)
"Describe how you've rallied a team around an idea" (Galvanizing)
"Give an example of when you questioned the status quo" (Wonder)

Working Genius enables you to make informed hiring decisions to best align candidates with the role's demands.

The Working Genius Assessment: Reveal Natural Areas of Energy and Competency

For leadership teams tired of watching talented people struggle in the wrong roles.