Part 7 of 7 By Al Mills
Six Types of Working Genius: Tenacity
The Six Types of Working Genius uses the acronym WIDGET. Widget represents six categories of work that are necessary for almost any type of project. Usually, people discover that two of those categories really inspire and energize them. Read on to learn about the sixth Genius; Tenacity
Aptly named, Tenacity people are the ones who push projects to completion. Not only do they get it across the finish line, they strive for completion on time, on budget, and on spec. They are, in fact, tenacious!
In most cases, Tenacity people are detail oriented, and keep a pretty low to the ground altitude. In other words, they are focused on the details that have to be completed if the project is to succeed. It’s important to keep this altitude element in mind as project meetings are planned.
At its inception level, project meetings are bound to be high altitude, giving Wonderers and Discerners a chance to do their work. Tenacity people at inception or concept meeting might be frustrated by the lack of detail thinking as a new idea is floated. By the same token, when final implementation meetings are underway, Tenacity people are in their wheelhouse, while Wonderers might be a little frustrated because they can’t go back to the drawing board for major changes. As an aside, when working in the context of Working Genius, or any type of team complement, it’s best to set the altitude for a meeting before it is called. This practice will alleviate tension if people who understand their Geniuses, also understand they types of concepts to be discussed at a meeting.
Tenacity people derive energy from getting things done. Check lists, to-do lists, dates, and details are among some of the things from which Tenacity people can derive energy and motivation.
Interestingly enough, those of us who are not Tenacity people may struggle at times feeling like we don’t get things done, or don’t have energy for certain tasks. I remember during an inventory project at a manufacturing facility, I had been writing and debugging software during the inventory process. The software was designed to make the process much easier to manage. When the inventory count ended, and all the relevant data had been entered into the system, the production manager and the office manager wanted to scan through the database to make sure that everything made sense. I didn’t understand that I had used all my productive energy writing and debugging and didn’t have enough left for this Tenacity type detail picking that came at the end of a long day. I just didn’t have anything left. I felt terribly guilty. It wasn’t until Working Genius came along that I realized Tenacity is a Working Frustration for me, and therefore made sense that I didn’t have anything left for tenacity work at the end of the day.
While we may look at Tenacity people as those that get it done, and we admire their stick-to-itiveness, it’s important to remember this is the work for which they are built. If you are a Tenacity person, dig-in and bring your best to the team and organization.
One of the best illustrations that Working Genius brings forth is the idea of the cogs working together. I like to think of puzzle pieces as well, finding the right combination of Working Genius people to make a complete team that functions at its best. Working Genius provides an opportunity to know what we have, so we know what to add. That brings us to a place where team building is likely to be a great success.
Al Mills is the lead consultant and founder of The Advantage Mill, a company dedicated to bringing out the best in the workplace. You can find the website at www.theadvantagemill.com.