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:


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.

Next

MTC 031: Tim Thomas | From Special Forces & Cage Fighting to Breathwork In Bed