
The software demo was going great! The client was excited to see the new features that we built for them over the past few months and was prepared to sign-off approval for final delivery…and then it happened!
They expressed a minor concern about a process change they would need to make, and that’s when Joe jumped into the conversation and my heart sank.
There I was, on final approach, just about to land this plane gently on the runway, and Joe grabbed the controls and yanked us back up to 20,000 feet. I thought I was going to be sick.
Then I got angry.
This was the third time he did that to me!
Something had to change!
I was planning to have a “performance discussion” with Joe (not his real name) and I was NOT looking forward to it.
Joe was a great member of the team otherwise, but I couldn’t have him constantly blowing up my delivery meetings. But at the same time, I wanted him there to answer some of the questions and to hear their feedback for future iterations, so we could continue to make the product better.
What was I going to do?
Fortunately, I had been learning about The Six Types of Working Genius, and decided to try overlaying this new knowledge on the situation.
What type of meeting were we in? What phase of the project or activity type?
All work projects go through three phases: Ideation, Activation and Implementation, and each phase has two activity types associated with it (WI-DG-ET).
We were definitely in late-stage Implementation, so this was a Tenacity meeting…dotting the I’s, crossing the T’s and driving to completion (landing the plane).
What are Joe’s Working Geniuses?
Invention was clearly one. Joe was an idea machine! When we needed creative new ideas for how to tackle problems, Joe was a clear go-to guy to help with that. (Later we would discover Joe is a W-I…Wonder and Invention.) But that’s the opposite end of the project lifecycle.
And that is when I started to realize…Joe is not trying to blow up my meeting, or even attempting to show me up or be disruptive at all.
Joe was trying to add maximum value to the company by exercising his Geniuses.
The problem was not WHAT Joe was doing, but WHEN.
Injecting Invention into a Tenacity meeting is very disruptive! Just like grabbing the controls of an aircraft about to land, and yanking it back up to cruising altitude.
Armed with my new knowledge and perspective, I was able to have a leadership discussion with Joe about how much we valued his Geniuses at the right time, and we brainstormed some techniques that he could use to moderate his Genius in those delivery (Tenacity) meetings, such as writing notes to share with the team later.
This turned out to be a great success, Joe continued to be a highly valued member of the team for years to come, and we successfully delivered many more iterations of the product to our clients’ delight.
Do you know what your Working Geniuses are?
Now, I help other teams discover their Working Geniuses and how and when to apply them for best results, and less judgment and conflict.
If this piques your interest, let’s have a free, no-pressure conversation about how you and your team might benefit, too.
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