Meetings shouldn’t leave you feeling drained, frustrated, or wondering what was actually accomplished. Often, meeting fatigue has less to do with the number of meetings and more to do with whether the work being asked of you matches the way you naturally contribute. The Working Genius model helps explain why some parts of collaboration energise you while others require significantly more effort. Understanding your Working Geniuses can help teams communicate more clearly, structure meetings more intentionally, and create a better balance between getting things done and giving people space to do their best work.

Working Genius is a practical framework for understanding how people naturally contribute to work, problem-solving, and collaboration. Developed by Patrick Lencioni, the model identifies six different types of working genius—Wonder, Invention, Discernment, Galvanizing, Enablement, and Tenacity. It isn't a personality test, a measure of intelligence, or a label that tells you what you're capable of. Instead, a Working Genius assessment gives you language for understanding the kinds of work that give you energy, the work that drains you, and how different strengths can come together to create healthier, more effective teams.

Working Genius and DISC are both useful tools for understanding yourself and the people you work with, but they answer different questions. DISC primarily looks at behavioural styles—how you tend to communicate, respond to situations, and interact with others. Working Genius focuses more specifically on the work itself: how you naturally approach ideas, decisions, collaboration, and getting things done. Rather than choosing between the two, many teams find value in using them alongside one another. DISC can help you understand how people behave, while Working Genius can help you understand how people work best together.

Burnout isn't always caused by having too much work. Sometimes it's the result of spending too much time doing work that consistently drains you without enough opportunity to use your natural strengths. Working Genius and burnout are closely connected because the model gives teams a simple way to identify where energy is being gained or depleted. When people understand which types of work come naturally to them—and which require more deliberate effort—they can make better decisions about roles, responsibilities, meetings, and collaboration. It won't eliminate every difficult task, but it can help create a healthier and more sustainable way of working.

Volunteers bring incredible energy, experience, and commitment—but that doesn't mean every volunteer will thrive in every role. The Working Genius model for volunteers can help organisations understand what motivates people and where they are most likely to make a meaningful contribution. Instead of simply asking, “Who can do this job?”, teams can start asking, “Who is naturally energised by this kind of work?” Whether you're leading a church, community organisation, charity, nonprofit, or volunteer team, understanding people's strengths can lead to better role placement, stronger engagement, healthier teamwork, and volunteers who are more likely to stay involved for the long term.

Healthy teams don't become healthy by accident. They create regular opportunities to pause, reflect, and understand how the team is actually working together. Team reflection helps uncover patterns that can easily be missed in the busyness of everyday work—who is carrying too much, where communication is breaking down, which strengths aren't being used, and what keeps creating unnecessary friction. Working Genius gives teams a shared language for having these conversations without turning them into criticism or blame. The result is a team that can adapt, appreciate different strengths, and work together with greater clarity and trust.