Make 2026 Your Breakout Year
David Freund
Wouldn’t you like to make 2026 your breakout year? Imagine falling back in love with the job you already have — getting more done and still feeling energized at the end of the day. I know, it might sound like a cheesy cable-TV ad, but it’s possible. The key is learning a bit more about yourself and intentionally structuring your day around how you’re wired to work. In other words, you need to understand your Working Genius.
During the COVID pandemic, Patrick Lencioni — author, business consultant, and founder of The Table Group — found himself struggling with a simple question: Why are there certain parts of my day that make me miserable? Over the course of several weeks and team conversations, he and his colleagues uncovered what they now call the six types of Working Genius.
They discovered that every job can be broken down into six distinct activities: Wonder, Invention, Discernment, Galvanizing, Enablement, and Tenacity — which conveniently form the acronym WIDGET.
Each of us has two areas of genius, two areas of competency, and two areas that frustrate us. So, how does this help us create a breakout year?
Too often, our New Year’s resolutions focus on improving the very things that live in our areas of frustration. We double down, push harder, and try to “fix” what naturally drains us. The result? We burn out, abandon the plan, and slide back into mediocrity. A simple shift can make a massive difference.
I recently heard Patrick Lencioni share a powerful guideline:
Spend 50% of your time in your geniuses, 30% in your competencies, and only 20% in your frustrations. Let me use myself as an example. My Working Geniuses are Galvanizing and Enablement. Galvanizing means getting people excited about ideas and moving them to action. Enablement is coming alongside others with encouragement, resources, and coaching. My competencies are Discernment and Invention, while my frustrations are Wonder and Tenacity.
When I spend my days helping people get excited about opportunities and supporting them with the tools they need to succeed, I feel energized and contribute at my highest level. When I spend too much time asking endless “what if” questions or tracking down fine details, I feel drained and unproductive.
You might wonder, Where does burnout come from? Interestingly, it often comes from spending too much time in our competencies. In my case, that’s generating new ideas or weighing options to determine the best solution. I can do these things — and do them fairly well — but they don’t energize me. If I live there too long, burnout follows.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could love your job again without changing jobs? That’s the beauty of the Working Genius model. Every role includes all six types of work. We don’t need a new job — we need a new approach. When we intentionally focus at least half of our day on the parts of our work that energize us, everything changes. When each member of a team knows their Working Genius, and we create a team map that shows where all the geniuses exist, the team can perform at its highest possible level.
I’m excited to leverage my Working Genius this new year. How about you?
NOTE – If you would like to learn more about The 6 Types of Working Genius, David’s next session will be on March 25th.