We Took the Assessment. Now What?

“Knowing your Geniuses is powerful. Using them every day is transformational.”

Your team has taken the Working Genius assessment. You’ve got fresh language — Wonder, Invention, Discernment, Galvanizing, Enablement, Tenacity — and a colorful report that explains why some tasks light you up while others drain the life out of you. Great. Now what?

Below is a practical playbook for turning those insights into traction. It’s the same four‑step path I walk clients through when I analyze a team’s Working Genius map, pinpoint gaps, and weave the model into their current systems.

1. Start With You — Own Your Pattern

Before introducing anything to the team, watch yourself at work for a week.

Keep a “Genius Journal.”

At the end of each day, jot down three tasks that energized you and three that left you flat. Next to each, tag the likely Genius (or Frustration) at play. By Friday, patterns will leap off the page:

• “I can brainstorm for hours without noticing the time. (W / I)”

• “Status‑tracking turns my brain to mush by 2 PM. Or, I procrastinated status-tracking for a long time. (T‑drain)”

• “I’m great at spotting flaws but dread presenting new ideas. (D / G-drain)”

The best leaders are self-aware leaders.

2. Share and Compare — Create Common Language

A Simple 30‑Minute Debrief Agenda

Minute	What to Do	Why It Matters
0–5	Set the tone: this isn’t a label nor is it rating your competency and ability. It’s language for energy and fulfillment.	Reduces defensiveness.
5–15	Go around: each person shares their 2 Geniuses, 2 Competencies, 2 Frustrations. Or the team can guess each team member's.	Builds transparency and empathy.
15–25	Discuss surprises and “aha” moments.	Surfaces hidden talents and drains.
25–30	Apply the Language: Pick a recent project and, as a group, label each stage with the actual Working Genius words (Wonder, Invention, Discernment, etc.). Then identify which Genius was missing or overloaded.	Reinforces the true WG vocabulary while showing how it maps directly onto real work.

Ground rule: talk about energy (“This fires me up”) instead of ability (“I’m bad at that”). Ability can improve; persistent energy drain is harder to fix.

3. Map the Team — Spot Strengths, Gaps, and Emerging Patterns

When you plot everyone’s Geniuses and Frustrations on a single chart, all kinds of configurations surface. No two teams look exactly alike, but a few patterns appear often enough to become recognizable shorthand.

Below are examples (not an exhaustive list) of what you might see:

Example Pattern	How It Shows Up	Potential Risk
Ideation Heat	Heavy on Wonder + Invention	Endless brainstorming, few launches
Middle‑Lane Bottleneck	Discernment or Galvanizing rests on one person	The best ideas aren't surfaced, stalled momentum
Finish‑Line Fade	Light on Tenacity	“90-percent done” syndrome
Starter‑Clutch	Plenty of Galvanizing, low Enablement	Great kickoff energy, but shaky follow‑through support moving project into implementation
Heads‑Down Crew	Strong Enablement + Tenacity, scarce Wonder	Efficient execution, limited big‑picture questioning

Important: Your team may show a blend of several patterns, or something entirely unique. That’s why a facilitated map review matters:

“When I analyze a map, I treat it like an X‑ray, identifying over‑represented stages, missing muscles, hidden overload, and hybrid patterns that don’t fit neat labels.”

Tool, Not Magic Trick

Working Genius is simple, but it’s not sorcery. If you slip back into old patterns, nothing is wrong; you’re simply human. Re‑center on two things:

1. Language: keep speaking the shared language.

2. Cadence: keep one ritual that makes the model visible weekly.

When energy spikes, momentum follows.

Ready for Traction?

Insight without application is trivia. If you’re serious about moving from report to results, a Team‑Map Deep Dive gives you:

• A gap analysis of your current workflow.

• Role tweaks that unlock hidden capacity.

Curious? Let’s talk about mapping your strengths, filling the gaps, and ensuring the right work lands with the right people.

Coming Next in the Series

Post 5: Genius‑Based Delegation—Getting the Right Work to the Right People the First Time.

Stay tuned, and keep working from your Genius!