MTC 032: Pat Lencioni | The Working Genius Framework That Fixes Broken Teams
In this conversation, Ryan Munsey sits down with Patrick Lencioni—bestselling author of The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team and creator of The 6 Types of Working Genius—to unpack a powerful framework for understanding your gifts, your frustrations, and your best role on any team. Pat explains The 6 Working Geniuses and how every project moves through three phases: Ideation, Activation, and Implementation. You’ll see why certain tasks give you energy while others drain you, why some teams constantly drop the ball, and how misalignment creates burnout, resentment, and quiet quitting even in high performers.
You’ll learn:
The 6 Types of Working Genius and how they show up in real work
The difference between your genius, competency, and frustration zones
Why burnout is more about misalignment than workload
How to build teams that have all six geniuses covered
Practical questions to diagnose your team gaps and blind spots
One simple way to redesign your week around your Working Genius.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Leadership and Working Genius
04:41 Pat's Journey to Discovering Working Genius
09:41 Understanding the Six Types of Working Genius
14:49 Coaching and Balancing Working Genius in Relationships
19:57 Implementing Working Genius in Organizations
26:35 Understanding Working Genius in Teams
28:49 The Six Types of Working Genius
37:13 Implementation and Team Dynamics
46:01 Celebrating Individual Strengths
51:02 Embracing Your Natural Abilities
Links:
Connect with Pat Lencioni
Connect with Ryan Munsey
Follow Ryan on Instagram
Subscribe to Ryan's YouTube Channel
Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn
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If you’re a leader, entrepreneur, coach, or high performer who wants to build healthier teams, improve collaboration, and fall back in love with your work, this episode will give you a practical language and toolset you can use immediately.