The 6 Types of Working Genius

In this episode of Torch Talk, Lindsey Chupp sits down with Deanna Nichols-Stika, Director of Branches Institute, to explore the Working Genius framework and how it helps leaders build stronger, more aligned teams.

Deanna breaks down the Six Types of Working Genius — Wonder, Invention, Discernment, Galvanizing, Enablement, and Tenacity — and explains how the assessment focuses on productivity and energy rather than personality. The conversation walks through how individuals can identify what truly brings them joy and momentum in their work, where frustration tends to show up, and why those distinctions matter for both personal growth and team effectiveness.

The discussion also dives into how Working Genius applies at the team level. Deanna explains the three stages of work, how to identify gaps in a team’s workflow, and how leaders can use a team map to diagnose breakdowns in recent projects. From hiring decisions to communication friction, the framework offers practical language for understanding invisible tensions and aligning people to roles where they can thrive.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• The six types of Working Genius and how they function
• Why productivity style matters more than personality labels
• How to identify gaps within a team’s workflow
• Using team mapping to improve hiring and role alignment
• Bringing clarity to workplace friction and communication differences

This episode offers a practical look at team development for leaders who want clearer alignment, healthier collaboration, and stronger results inside their organizations.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Any combination of genius in those top two can be in any role within an organization. So there's not uh a lot of like in your top leadership team, you're going to have all W's or all I's or G's or what have you. You should see, because we are all individual people, some variety.

SPEAKER_04 0:28

Welcome back to Torch Talk, the show where we spotlight bold leaders growing businesses and communities with grit and purpose. Today's guest is Deanna Nicol Sitka, director of Branches Institute. In this Torch Talk episode, we'll explore her Blaze Business Conference presentation and take a deeper dive into how the Working Genius Framework strengthens teams and leadership. Welcome to Torch Talk, Deanna. Thank you, Lindsay. I am so excited to dive into all things working genius. So first tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do.

SPEAKER_01 1:01

Fantastic. I'm Deanna. I get to work at branches and I get to do a couple of things there. Primarily, I do consulting work for leadership development, one-to-one coaching, small group coaching, really just getting to work with incredible people, helping them feel better and stronger and more confident in what they're doing, which is so much fun.

SPEAKER_04 1:24

And you do a great job. I know our team has done some exercises with you, and they always love the chances when they get to be in the same room as Deanna.

SPEAKER_01 1:31

So you've got a great team. I love them. I love them.

SPEAKER_04 1:35

Okay, so tell us what is working genius?

SPEAKER_01 1:38

So uh the the six types of working genius is an assessment tool that we can use to really help us figure out what is our productivity style. And so it is an assessment that's 80% productivity insights and 20% personality. So there's lots of assessments out there that give us lots of wonderful information. What I love about the working genius is that it is focused on productivity. So it gives you insight to uh what do you love to do, what it what fulfills you in the type of work that you're doing. And also what I love about it is it helps teams figure out how to work better together and more efficient.

SPEAKER_04 2:23

I know I can't wait to dive into that part of it. Like I am very curious about myself personally, but then also as a team, how does this actually look when you put a whole bunch of people together? Um, and we just test everybody, but that's more a personality test. And so the this being a productivity test, I love that description of it. It's more like, how are you working? And really, I think going through the process of identifying what frustrates you can be a little bit liberating because maybe we don't always we do get frustrated, but we don't always know why we're getting frustrated.

SPEAKER_01 2:53

That is spot on. Spot on. And that's what I love about this assessment. So it, I want to make sure that we're we're really clear in our communication is that the working genius is a ranking system. So it gives you six different geniuses that we all work in, and it just ranks them. What are your top two that you're best at? What's the middle two that you don't mind doing? Um, but and you're good at it, but it just doesn't fulfill you as the first two. And then the bottom two are your two that yes, you can still do, but they frustrate you. You you're just like, wow, why don't I get joy from this? And so it helps add clarity about why you're feeling the way that you're feeling in the work that you're doing. And then from a team perspective and a leader perspective, it helps you figure out how to align people in the right roles that they're gonna feel really fulfilled in, really successful in, and just it grow deeper as a person, as an employee, and an effective team member because you know you got them in the right seat, which is so exciting.

SPEAKER_04 4:00

Okay, so take us through what are the six different types.

SPEAKER_01 4:03

So six different types start at the very top. It's there's an acronym, widget. So W is Wonder, I Invention, D discernment, G galvanizer or galvanizing, E is Enabler, and ending out with T is tenacity. What are your working geniuses? I am an ET. I love the details. I'm an uh enabler is my uh top working genius. Uh hi. Uh I'm a social worker by trade, and I love helping people. Enablers, we love helping people and helping support people. So I wasn't too surprised at that one. Uh, my second one is T, that's tenacity. We love to finish projects. Like I love that check mark at the end of the at of a project. So I love that.

SPEAKER_04 4:58

What are your top two? Uh DI, which is funny because I'm also a DI on the disc test. So that's easy to remember. That makes it super easy. That's nice. So discernment and invention, which I think makes sense as well. Wonder is in the middle, and I spend a fair amount of time um on those things. But so what is D? D is discernment.

SPEAKER_01 5:19

Uh D loves to have things brought to them and look at them and determine, is this really good? Or maybe should we do some tweaking? Discerners also like to ask lots of questions. Like, how do we get back here?

SPEAKER_04 5:35

I'm like, yeah, I always have a thousand questions. I almost can't go somewhere and not have questions in my head. Like, I wish I stopped sometimes, but I don't have the ability not to. So that one did not surprise me at all. How you're made. Yes. I love that.

SPEAKER_01 5:50

And then invention. Invention is that uh you have an idea and then you just love to iterate on it. You love to figure out how to make it better, tweak it, uh, really just uh imagine, iterate on what could be.

SPEAKER_04 6:08

That explains you just like described Fierce in a nutshell. I've been have years of iterating why you're so good at what you do. I love that. Okay, so then let's talk about the things that are not me and you. Um so what's left over?

SPEAKER_01 6:22

So let's start uh wonder. Wonder is uh for people that are doubles, they love to come up with the big idea. So they love to dream, they love to just think, they love to uh uh be creative and and think of something out of nothing, kind of. So that's at the very top. And then that's why uh I is next, invention. Inventors love that. Give me an idea and let me run with it, let me make it better. So WI, we've talked about D, G, galvanizers, they love to rally people around a common good, like a common project, a common path, where we're going. They love to encourage people, they love to support people, they love to really just rally the troops. They are those people that want to get everybody on the bus and moving, which is every team needs one of those. And then we have E, T, the at the end, is those people that love to take it across the finish line. So I think I already talked about that.

SPEAKER_04 7:32

So tell us how should somebody, you know, maybe most of the people listening to this podcast now have come to the Blaze Expo. They've taken the assessment, so they maybe have an idea, they've gotten little snippets. How do you use the assessment to know yourself better first? How can you use that as a personal tool?

SPEAKER_01 7:50

That is such a great question. I think first, uh as you get your results, really the the first thing to do for anyone, all of us, is do I resonate with this? Is this really reflective of who I think I am and what brings me joy and fulfillment? That's when you're looking at those top two geniuses, looking at is that what really brings me joy and fulfillment? And then also look at your next two. Those are your working competencies. Do I do am I good at those? Am I am I pretty okay at those? I don't mind doing them, but again, don't bring me a lot of fulfillment and really just reflect on that. And then I think it's sometimes even better to start with your two frustrations and reflect on those. Are those two things, yeah, I can do them, but they don't bring me a lot of joy. Keep looking at each set. We could when we look at the six, again, it's not a ranking or it's not a rating, it's a ranking. Look and really discern are your top two, your top two, are your middle two, your middle two, and are your bottom two, your two frustrations. You can do them all. And we all do them all. It's looking through the lens, does do they bring me joy and fulfillment? And then personally look at what am I doing on a day-to-day basis, and how does that align with my results? Like in my job and at home, am I spending the majority of my time in the things that bring me joy at the in the top two? And if that's yes, fantastic. That affirms that you're in the right place, doing the right things, executing through life in the right way, and that you're filling yourself with joy and fulfillment. But that's what we want for ourselves. That's what we want for the people that we work with. If you have your assessment results and you identify with those, but then you're looking at your personal life and your your work life and going, wow, I'm actually spending more time doing things that frustrate me. That's a great kind of sign to then have a conversation. Is it a conversation with your spouse about just the responsibilities at home? And I'm doing a lot of the things that frustrate me, and that could be adding to why we're having tense situations at home. We all have those. Uh or is it, you know, uh, wow, I the majority of my job is in my working frustrations. Maybe I need to share this with my supervisor, my leader, my who whoever that I can work through and and figure out could I adjust? Is there a different position? Is there a different pathway for me? Because if you're if that person's feeling that frustration at work, their leader is probably seeing it too. So it just is a great vehicle to kind of open the doors to explain why things are happening the way they are, both in very positive and more frustrating.

SPEAKER_04 11:04

I it's interesting to think about the personal side because I took the test myself this past fall, and um I always joke that I'm gonna do all the personality tests on my husband. I haven't officially diss test him yet, but I think I know what he he's a CS for sure. Like we're so opposite, it's not even funny. But I didn't think about like what is his working genius, so now I need to do that because there's definitely times where, and I know um Patrick talks about this in the book as well, like at home, how it it comes out in avoidance of tasks and different things, and maybe sometimes two spouses are actually both bad at something and you don't realize it, and then you get frustrated with each other. So it is interesting to think about it from a personal perspective as well. Uh my results do make sense to me. Like that, but I don't know. I have to do a little bit of reflecting about the at home. I guess it probably does there too. Like always the idea and asking questions everywhere I go, even with my children. I'm sure that's one of their areas of frustration with me. But um, okay, so we're we're doing some individual assessment, comparing that to our personal lives, our work lives. Um, how does a leader use that as a tool then?

SPEAKER_01 12:15

That's what I love. I love that question and love that there is a team work environment, a huge asset to this assessment. So all the six working geniuses are critical for all, you know, like ultimate efficiency within any industry. You need someone that's wandering and inventing and inventing, and then you need someone discerning is that a good decision and galvanizing the troops, and then you need the execution. So when we look at those six geniuses, there's there are then three phases of work. And we we look at them and and we want to we need to have all those three phases of work where we're doing the top two in iteration. We need to be having that brainstorming happen, and then we need to have the discernment in the in the center, and then the execution at the bottom through all three of those. So we need the three stages of work. So as a leader, looking at your team as uh results and uh discerning, I'm a D is my third. You look at that and you you say, where are gaps? Do we have gaps? If we do, where are they? Who could we leverage on the team that we could call into utilizing maybe their uh working competency that's in that uh genius to kind of fill in a gap? Or if you don't have it on your team, do you have someone maybe outside your team but still in your business that you could call up to sit in that seat to really help you make sure that you're looking at the entire work process of project, whatever you're working on, so that you have all voices at the table.

SPEAKER_04 14:10

So do you tend to see consistencies between the different types of geniuses and different levels of management or leadership?

SPEAKER_01 14:17

No, no, you uh that's the beauty. You know, we're all made in uh as individuals. Any combination of genius in those top two can be in any role within an organization. So there's not uh a lot of like in your top leadership team, you're going to have all W's or all I's or G's or what have you. You should see, because we are all individual people, some variety. Now you will have. Now let's look for an example, and I was actually listening to a Working Genius podcast, and this was the example. They were working with a lot of accountants, a high-level accounting team. They had lots of T's on that team. They care about the details, they want to get the details right, so they have a lot of tenacity there. So they needed to become a little bit more diversified so that they're not just working on the fine details, that they're looking being able to step back and again look at the totality of a work project and bringing in other voices that that is their working genius and strong suit to really bring to the table. So there are some uh like working geniuses that you you can maybe anticipate on a team, but uh overall you should have diversity because of individuals.

SPEAKER_04 15:41

We're all different. So is that an area like if you're a leader and you're assessing the team and you see gaps, that is that an area you should be specifically looking to fill then? Yes. Like when you're hiring and you're looking at those types of situations, like we might be missing a galvanizer, and a galvanizer is a really important part of a team.

SPEAKER_01 16:00

That is completely accurate. So if you know you have a gap on the team, utilizing and seeing, trying to figure out in the hiring process, how do we ask questions that really pull out a galvanizing type individual? Offer the assessment too, and and find out. But yes, if you do have a a gap, it is a wonderful kind of just perspective to go, wow, we need to get that filled, either internally will match or buy higher.

SPEAKER_04 16:30

It'll match where the an organization may be challenged or having some problems. Like if you're like, we always have great ideas, uh, we just really always have a hard time getting over the line, then maybe you don't have a lot of T or E on your team, right?

SPEAKER_01 16:42

That is exactly right. And that I'm so glad you brought that up because that is one of the wonderful kind of activities that you can go through once you have your uh assessments, and then we can do a team map. You can actually get your team all mapped out on one map so you can easily see and discern, decipher where are there our strengths and where are our opportunities for improvement. Um, but it really can uh help you figure out um what where to go to next. Like where where should we be taking this and where should we go next with ensuring that we have a fully represented team? Which which I just love. And then you can one of the examples that an activity you can do is when you see that, then look at one of your most recent projects that didn't go so well and go, where was the fault in in the process? Where did we fail in that process? When you look at the stages of work, where did we fail? And then you look at your map and go, Oh, we didn't have as much E and T there that we we thought in your example, or maybe we didn't get enough momentum of excitement around the project and we all just lost interest, so we didn't have a G there. So it is you can really look at, you know, challenging projects where they just didn't turn out very well, and then use that as a tool against your team map and see is that telling us something, gives us clarity.

SPEAKER_04 18:21

So I know there's different personality types. We use disk a lot. Um, we uh use this in the hiring process. We've actually talked with you about using the working genius as a complementary tool in our hiring process as well. One of the eye-opening things to me in the disk um process is really to understand how somebody else communicates. So, how can I meet them where they're at? Um, how can that be used from a working genius perspective? Like, for example, you're a T and E. Is it exhausting for you to sit in the room with somebody who is more a wonder or invention for too long? Do you do you know what I'm saying? Like, what does that look like to help understand team interaction with each other?

SPEAKER_01 19:01

Absolutely. It it so let me say, with it is very much equips people with understanding other people. Helps you understand yourself, but it helps you understand your team. And what I love about this tool is that it's pretty simple. It's it's very straightforward, simple to help you really uh figure out how to communicate with others that are different than you. And when you understand who they are and how they approach work, you can better understand, okay, why are they communicating the way they are? Why am I communicating the way I am? Why are we having this friction? Like now we understand we're approaching work from two completely different perspectives. So while you may have that frustration, you can then gain appreciation and kind of understanding why is that friction. They talk a lot about this tool helps uh give definition or uh identify that invisible frustration that that those interpersonal relationships that we butt up against in at work and at home. Like we just can't understand why we're not connecting or clicking, or we're just we know we're different, what but you can't put your finger on why. This assessment can kind of help you just put language to that invisible wall to make it visible to help you understand. And as the person, circling back to what you said, do I get frustrated when as an ET in a room with WIs? No, I I know it's not my uh my best work when I'm asked to be a WI, so I really need to work at it a little bit harder. But I also know as an ET, I need to appreciate the WIs because I don't that's not my first language. I love and am so grateful for people that are WIs because I need that to make my work better. So Well and they need you to get it done. Right. So it's vice versa. And so I think it really helps just uh add appreciation for one another. In the graphic of the working genius, there the six working geniuses are gears. And I love that they're gears uh because it just that adds the reinforces you need each one of them to have the best end result possible. And you can't take one out without not filling some sort of gap. Uh and so you it operating as a highly effective team, having each one is critical. And we would advocate, yeah, if you don't have one, figure out how you might supplement to get that one, that seat filled.

SPEAKER_04 21:54

Well, I know we are I'm really excited personally to understand better about it, to understand myself. Better, but also to look at the team and maybe just understand the person, but also is our expectations of the role and the person actually out of alignment with what their skill set is. I because I am a wonder and an inventor. Um sometimes I think other I expect other people to just ask as many questions as I do, to want to dive deep as I do. And um so I'm excited for the opportunity to be able to embrace each other's strengths and see how we can work to b together better. Um it's also nice to I think sometimes be like, you know, I'm actually really good at this. So not to feel bad about that sometimes. Sometimes we feel bad about what we're good at, if that makes any sense. I don't know why.

SPEAKER_01 22:44

It does, it does. And I think also then I we feel bad at what we're not good at. And we shouldn't. We just weren't made with that being our strong suit. So I think it goes both ways. We feel good about or we feel bad about what we're really good at when embrace that, love that, get your joy and your fulfillment from that. Also, on the reverse, on your bottom two, that bring you frustration. That don't feel guilt, shame, anything about that. That's not what you were made to do is your that brings you joy and fulfillment. There was another example that I heard that I thought was so good and it uh was an analogy about cars. You know, there's a thousand different cars out there and all different kinds of makes and models for all different types of purposes. If I'm gonna um go off-roading, am I gonna get my little, you know, convertible coupe out to go off-roading? No, I'm not gonna do that. That's not my best, that's not setting myself up for success. I'm gonna go get the four four-wheeler, the four by four Jeep that's all tanked out so that I can get go out and go uh and experience that to the best of my ability. This we as people are the same. We can't have an expectation for someone to be a wonderer and a dreamer and a creative that is made to be a details person, vice versa. You can't expect an uh wanderer and an inventor to love the details. I also want to share, you can be at both ends of the spectrum. There's you can be a W and a T all wrapped up into one.

SPEAKER_04 24:36

That's an interesting combo.

SPEAKER_01 24:38

Right? Right? That you have all of these wonderful uh ideas, but then you love to get into the details. You can be at both ends and you can have a lot of diversity across, because again, we're all different. We all have different makes and models that it's just about really figuring out what terrain do you work best in?

SPEAKER_04 25:00

Is there a good ratio of like if you're looking at your role, because we do have to do all of the things, but is there a good ratio for the amount of time that should be spent on your geniuses versus your frustrations to help keep a healthy balance?

SPEAKER_01 25:14

That's such a good question. I, you know, I don't have off like a really good set percentage. I think the the way I understand it and the way I've interpreted it is if you're spending the majority of your time in what brings you joy and fulfillment, is that 50% plus in the things that bring you joy and fulfillment, you are living a really great, balanced life. Now, competencies come in there and your frustrations come in there. Your frustration should be the smallest percentage of your time. You know, is that 10, 15 percent? Could be, but we're also gonna all use all of those geniuses at different times. There's been times in my life where I've been living in my bottom two for the majority of my time. And I grew a lot, I learned a lot, I needed to be there at that point in time. And then, you know, it it ebbed and flowed, and then it uh it worked itself out. So I don't think um don't I guess I bring that up as don't get overly concerned if you do find yourself spending a lot of time in your frustrations for certain periods of time, not forever.

SPEAKER_04 26:35

Not as seasons.

SPEAKER_01 26:36

Not forever. But yes, there's seasons that's life that we all get to adapt to.

SPEAKER_04 26:41

Yeah, I for us that's budgeting season. So I am not a T and an E. Those are my lowest, but during budgeting seasons, we gotta be that. So gotta be there. It's a three to four month period that I just know I need to spend a little bit more time on the details and getting things over the finish lines.

SPEAKER_02 26:56

So yeah.

SPEAKER_04 26:57

That's so good.

SPEAKER_01 26:58

I'm so glad you know that about yourself. I the same, you know, that I know where I need to be sometimes that I just don't enjoy it as much, but you gotta jump in and do it.

SPEAKER_04 27:08

Well, I'm just learning about this, so I can't wait to work with you more and continue to just have an expanded knowledge of the working genius and how to apply that. I really appreciate everything that you've shared with us today, Deanna. If somebody wanted to reach out to you individually or as a company or a team to do a team exercise, how would they get a hold of you?

SPEAKER_01 27:29

You all of our information is right on our website. So look at for branches consulting. Branches, we're out there, look for us. I'm also on LinkedIn, uh, so you're welcome to reach out to me there as well.

SPEAKER_04 27:41

And you can always uh leave us a comment or we'll make sure we get you in touch with Deanna and the branches team. They're a really great and awesome resource for other business owners in our area. So we appreciate your partnership. What likewise, we enjoy our Fierce team very much. Thanks for tuning in to Torch Talk. If today's story sparks something in you, share it with a colleague, community leader, or future change maker. Until next time, stay inspired, stay intentional, and keep your fire burning.