Executive teams are full of smart people. Talented people. High achieving people. Yet somehow, many of these teams still struggle more than they should. If you have ever watched a meeting go off the rails, or wondered why a group of brilliant leaders cannot seem to move a strategy forward, you are not alone.

The good news is that there is a clear, practical way to fix this. And it starts with understanding how your team actually gets work done.

Let’s walk through why Working Genius has become the fastest growing assessment for building better teams around the world, and how you can use it to transform collaboration, reduce frustration, and bring your strategy to life.

Tip 1: Understand Why Smart Leaders Still Misfire

It is almost funny how often brilliant people struggle when the work they are doing simply does not match how they are wired. Even the most capable team members lose energy when their natural talents are pointed in the wrong direction. I see it every week in executive teams.

Start by having everyone complete the Working Genius Assessment. It is the quickest way to spot who should be doing what. Once you know each person’s genius types, you can finally put the right people in the right stages of work. The difference is instant.

Tip 2: Identify the Hidden Cost of Misaligned Work

When leaders spend most of their time in their frustration areas, everything feels heavier. You can feel the burnout, the tension, the slow project movement. It is not that your team is broken. It is that their working geniuses are being ignored.

Try using the Working Genius Model to diagnose where the misalignment is coming from. It will help you realign roles so your organisation moves in the right direction again. If you are not sure how to do this, you can always contact me at [email protected].

Tip 3: Use a 10 Minute Tool to Boost Productivity and Trust

The Working Genius Assessment from the Table Group takes minutes, and yet it gives leaders a clarity they often have not had in years. I remember one CEO saying it felt like the fog lifted in a single afternoon.

Once you know your team’s natural strengths, you can build better meetings, reduce dysfunctions of a team, and create a positive impact faster than you expect.

Tip 4: Learn the Six Types of Working Genius

The six types of the Working Genius Model are Wonder, Invention, Discernment, Galvanizing, Enablement, and Tenacity. Think of them as six natural gifts that help teams do meaningful work.

Spend time teaching your team what each genius means. When people know their own natural ability and the strengths of others, everything flows more smoothly.

Tip 5: Treat It as an Energy Model, Not a Personality Test

Working Genius is all about energy. It shows which types of work make a person light up, and which ones quietly drain them. That matters, because energy determines how long someone can stay effective.

Help your team identify which activities fill their tank. Then adjust their responsibilities so they spend more time in their genius and less in their frustrations.

Tip 6: Clarify Genius vs Competency vs Frustration

Here is a helpful way to think about it. Competency means “I can do it.” Genius means “I love doing it.” Frustration means “I die a tiny bit inside every time I have to do this.”

Use the Working Genius Assessment tool to identify each person’s categories. Then redesign your workflow so working geniuses lead the charge.

Tip 7: Apply the Ideate – Activate – Implement Flow

Every project moves through three stages: ideation, activation, and implementation. These match perfectly with the six types. It is a beautifully simple system.

Try this in your next project. Let Wonder and Invention handle the ideas. Ask Discernment and Galvanizing to refine and rally. Then finish strong with Enablement and Tenacity. It is like giving each person a lane they actually enjoy.

Tip 8: Recognise That Executive Roles Span All Stages of Work

Executives often jump across every stage of work in a single day. That is why it is so important to know which stages naturally energize them and which ones drain them.

Look at each executive’s Working Genius profile and adjust their leadership development so it aligns with their natural strengths. It prevents burnout and increases joy in the work.

Tip 9: Protect Leaders from Operating Outside Their Genius

The higher someone rises, the more dangerous it becomes when they work outside their genius. The consequences scale along with the role.

A certified Working Genius facilitator can help your leadership team identify misalignment and realign roles. Sometimes that one conversation changes everything.

Tip 10: Identify the Real Cause of Slow Strategic Progress

Most executive teams blame strategy problems on skill gaps, but that is usually not the issue. It is almost always a Working Genius gap.

Build a team map and look for missing geniuses. Once you have clarity, redistribute responsibilities so strengths match the stage of work that needs help.

Tip 11: Understand Why Some Meetings Energize and Others Exhaust

Some meetings feel like caffeine. Others feel like quicksand. The difference is simple. Each meeting matches a specific genius type.

Try this: use Wonder and Invention for big conversations, Discernment for editing ideas, Galvanizing for rallying energy, and Enablement and Tenacity for pushing work to the finish line.

Tip 12: Stop Praising the Wrong Work

Many leaders are celebrated for doing tasks that secretly drain them. It is one of the fastest ways to burn out a high performer.

Start praising their working geniuses instead. Celebrate the natural gifts they bring. It creates healthier team dynamics and much better outcomes.

Tip 13: Eliminate Turbulence in Meetings

Have you ever watched an idea get shot down way too early? Or seen a project pushed forward before anyone evaluated it? That is genius turbulence.

Use the Working Genius Framework to time contributions correctly. It keeps new ideas alive long enough to breathe, and it keeps execution on track.

Tip 14: Avoid Overloading One Leader with Critical Geniuses

Most teams lean heavily on one person who carries Invention, Galvanizing, or Tenacity. It works fine until that person burns out or leaves.

Create balance. Identify where you are over-relying on someone. Redistribute their load and strengthen the consulting team around them.

Tip 15: Use a Team Map to See Strengths and Gaps Clearly

A team map is like the executive version of turning the lights on in a messy room. Suddenly everything is visible.

Use it to see natural strengths, missing geniuses, and patterns like too much Discernment or not enough Wonder. It makes collaboration easier and more enjoyable.

Tip 16: Recognize the Risks of Missing a Genius

A team without Wonder misses big questions. A team without Tenacity never hits the finish line. Each missing genius creates a specific blind spot.

Use this insight to hire, borrow, or reassign genius types so every stage of work is covered.

Tip 17: Share Real Examples to Build Confidence

Teams learn through stories. Share examples like the Sales Director with Tenacity or the lawyer who was the only Inventor on their whole team.

These stories help normalise differences. They show your team that unique talents are strengths, not problems.

Tip 18: Accelerate Strategic Execution

When leaders work in their areas of genius, things just move faster. There is less resistance, fewer delays, and more momentum.

Ask each team leader to identify the work that energizes them most. Then double down on it.

Tip 19: Host Clearer, Leaner Meetings

Want meetings that feel lighter? Match the meeting style to the genius types involved.

Use Wonder and Invention for ideation, Discernment for decision making, Galvanizing for momentum, and Enablement and Tenacity for action. It reduces low morale and increases productivity.

Tip 20: Make Better Hiring and Talent Decisions

Try using the Working Genius lens when interviewing. It helps match candidate strengths to the job type of work.

This leads to better job satisfaction, stronger performance, and healthier leadership teams.

Tip 21: Build Trust by Reducing Misunderstanding

It is amazing how quickly judgement fades when executives understand each other’s genius types.

Use the model to show that different geniuses bring different strengths. It builds trust, reduces friction, and creates a stronger team.

Tip 22: Complete the Working Genius Assessment Together

Start as a team. Take the assessment together. Have a laugh about it. Talk openly about what you learn.

It gives everyone shared language and a better way to communicate.

Tip 23: Interpret Individual Profiles Before Team Work

Spend time looking at each person’s profile before diving into team conversations.

This helps your facilitator design a dynamic approach that honours individual strengths and reduces frustration areas.

Tip 24: Build a Team Map for Full Visibility

Once you have your profiles, build a team map. It gives you a one-page picture of gaps, pressures, and strengths.

From there, you can make better decisions about roles and projects.

Tip 25: Realign Workflows Around Genius Types

Reassign work based on natural strengths. Give Invention the space to create. Give Discernment room to refine. Let Tenacity drive things across the finish line.

This unlocks full potential and makes the work feel lighter for everyone.

Tip 26: Use Working Genius for Hiring and Structure

If you are replacing a key leader or reshaping a department, use the framework to guide your decisions.

It ensures the right people fill the roles that matter most.

Tip 27: Bring in a Certified Working Genius Facilitator

Sometimes teams need outside support to break through old patterns. A certified facilitator can help your team interpret results, diagnose gaps, and build new rhythms.

If you want help doing this with your executive team, email me at [email protected].

Tip 28: Adopt the Mindset That Genius Is Joy, Not Skill

Genius does not mean expertise. It means joy. It means energy. It means that someone is naturally drawn to a certain type of work.

Help your team embrace this mindset. It reduces guilt and opens the door to more energizing roles.

Tip 29: Remove Pressure to Perform in Frustration Areas

It is time to let go of the belief that everyone should be good at everything.

Restructure work so that people spend most of their time in their natural strengths and only a little in their competency areas.

Tip 30: Lead with Clarity to Create Momentum

Once everyone knows their genius types, clarity rises. When clarity rises, momentum follows. Morale improves. Performance takes off.

Your executive team becomes the model for the whole organisation, and that is the moment when culture starts to transform.

Clarity creates momentum.

Momentum builds morale.

Morale unlocks performance.

When your executive team understands its Working Genius profile, you create a culture where strengths are honoured, friction decreases, and strategy finally moves forward.

If you want to help your executive team operate in their genius and bring your organisation’s strategy to life, reach out to me at [email protected] to start the conversation.

Your team’s best work is waiting. Let’s unlock it.