Before you use Working Genius - Read this.

By Kathy Gilmore
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This year, my word is Clarity. But here’s what I’ve learned facilitating Working Genius team sessions:
Clarity, by itself, is not neutral.

In every session, I show a slide of the Five Dysfunctions of a Team pyramid by Patrick Lencioni. I don’t walk through the entire model.

I highlight one thing. The base. Trust.

And then I say:

“Working Genius is a language. And we are sharing this language on a foundation of trust.”
I say this because clarity without trust becomes ammunition.

When teams first learn their Genius, there’s relief. There’s laughter. There’s recognition.
But if trust isn’t strong, something subtle shifts.

• “He’s Invention — he just throws ideas out there.”
• “That’s Tenacity being stubborn again.”
• “She’s high Wonder — that’s why she slows us down.”

That’s not clarity. That’s judgment dressed up like a framework.

Working Genius is powerful because it names how people naturally contribute to work.

But the Five Dysfunctions model starts with trust for a reason. Without trust, teams avoid real conflict. They hesitate to commit. They soften accountability. Results drift.

Clarity accelerates healthy teams. It exposes fragile ones.
In healthy environments, the conversation sounds different:

“I need more time to think before I commit.”
“I’m generating ideas — I need help refining them.”
“I’m pushing for action — tell me if I’m moving too fast.”

Same wiring. Completely different impact.  If your team is experiencing friction right now, it may not be dysfunction.
It may be clarity introduced without a trust container.

A facilitated Working Genius session doesn’t just reveal wiring. It establishes the foundation that makes clarity safe.
If this feels timely, I have a few openings in the coming weeks.

Let’s start with a conversation.

Interest Form Here (or just send me a note). 

Next: How Working Genius intersects with Fear of Conflict — and why some teams avoid healthy debate without realizing it.