How are They Wired?

Applying The 6 Types of Working Genius for your team.

Every leader has asked some version of the same frustrated question: Why does a talented team still feel tired, misaligned, or stuck?

Sometimes the problem is not character. It is not commitment. It is not even competency.

Sometimes the problem is that people are doing work that drains them instead of work that brings them to life.

That is where The 6 Types of Working Genius (Matt Holt Books, Sept. 2022), developed by Patrick Lencioni, gives Christian nonprofit leaders a practical framework for equipping people well. It helps leaders understand how each team member is naturally wired to contribute to work. And when leaders respond to that wiring proactively, they do more than improve productivity. They help people flourish.

The 6 Types of Working Genius

The six types are: wonder, invention, discernment, galvanizing, enablement, and tenacity.

• Wonder asks “why” and sees the need for improvement.
• Invention generates new ideas and solutions.
• Discernment senses what will work.
• Galvanizing rallies people into action.
• Enablement jumps in to help.
• Tenacity pushes work across the finish line.

Every person has two areas of genius, two areas of competency, and two areas of frustration. This matters more than many leaders realize.

Why Working Genius Matters

Too often, we assume an employee is struggling because they need more training, more accountability, or more motivation. Sometimes they do. But often, they are buried in work that sits in their frustration zone. You can only white-knuckle that for so long. Eventually, joy fades. Energy drops. Resentment grows. Performance follows.

Equipping your team starts with better diagnosis.

Equipping your team starts with better diagnosis.

Before you buy another training program, host another retreat, or add another software tool, ask a simpler question: What kind of work actually energizes each person on this team?

That question can change everything.

Aligning Design Enables Stewardship

When a leader understands a team member’s working genius, they can start assigning responsibilities more intentionally. The person high in Wonder may not be your best project manager, but they may be the one who spots problems nobody else sees. The person high in Enablement may not want to lead the strategy session, but they may become the relational glue that keeps a team healthy and responsive. The person with Tenacity may not enjoy brainstorming for an hour, but they can save a mission from dying under the weight of unfinished details.

This kind of alignment does not create laziness or excuse weakness. It creates stewardship.

Scripture reminds us that “we have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us” (Rom. 12:6). That truth is spiritual, but it is also deeply practical. Christian leaders should be the first to recognize that people are not all built the same, and that this is not a flaw in the body. It is a strength.

When we ignore design, we create unnecessary friction.

When we ignore design, we create unnecessary friction.

When we honor design, we unlock contribution.

Aligning Design Supports Retention

This also changes how we think about retention. People do not leave only because of compensation, workload, or bad policies. Sometimes they leave because, week after week, their job asks them to live outside their strengths. They may be praised for being capable while quietly feeling exhausted. That is a dangerous combination. A team can keep functioning on the outside while slowly deflating on the inside.

Equipping people well means helping them understand their own genius. It also means giving them language for what drains them, and building teams where strengths complement each other. That means leaders must resist the temptation to clone themselves. Not everyone should contribute the way you do. A healthy team needs variety.

Technology can help with this, but it cannot replace discernment. Assessments, project tools, communication platforms, and AI can all support team development. But the best equipping still happens when a leader pays attention, asks thoughtful questions, and makes wise adjustments. Tools are useful. Stewardship is better.

Helping People Add Value and Experience Joy

The goal is not a perfectly customized job for every employee. Most roles include tasks people would not choose. The goal is to ensure that, over time, people spend meaningful energy where they add the most value and experience the most joy.

That is good leadership.

It is also deeply Christian leadership.

When leaders see people clearly, they serve them better.

When leaders see people clearly, they serve them better. When they place people wisely, they strengthen the mission. And when they equip people according to how God has wired them, they do more than improve output. They affirm dignity.

A team that understands working genius is not just more productive.

It is more alive.

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Aaron Stroman is a nonprofit consultant with Stroman & Associates, where he helps Christian and nonprofit leaders strengthen board governance, fundraising, strategic clarity, and team health. He is a The 6 Types of Working Genius Certified Facilitator and works with organizations to build healthier, more productive teams.

(You’re invited to download Stroman & Associates free publication “Why Good Employees Leave Great Companies.”)