Why Is It So Hard to Wonder?
Jeff Gibson
Principal Consultant at The Table Group; Founder & President, Gibson Consulting Group
Thoughts From The Field
Each month, we share insights from one of our colleagues about an important aspect of organizational health. In this issue of Thoughts from the Field, my colleague, Gordon Blocker, touches on one of my favorite insights from Pat Lencioni’s Six Types of Working Genius model - the acknowledgment of the pressure we can each put on ourselves to be great at every part of leading and delivering, regardless of what naturally brings us joy and fulfillment in work.
Why Is It So Hard to Wonder?
And pausing the race to the remaining Geniuses...
By Gordon Blocker, Principal Consultant
Patrick Lencioni describes the Six Types of Working Genius in his book of the same title.
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I get the benefit of watching leaders and team members figure out (1) what their geniuses are and (2) what their frustrations are. But often, what is even more interesting to me is watching teams figure out (3) how to work together so that every initiative works its way through all six geniuses. Like many aspects of organizational health, working geniuses are simple concepts, but implementing them well can be difficult. Also, like many aspects of organizational health, each story and example brings potential new insights, adjustments, and momentum.
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Let's start at the beginning. The point of Wonder is to ask questions, to hold?the tension we experience in conversations, and to consider a world outside the status quo. It's not answering questions, relieving tensions, and protecting a world?inside?the status quo. It's about genuinely opening ourselves up to possibilities. The other geniuses help brainstorm, solve problems, answer questions, and deliver on plans. And each genius deserves its space. If five geniuses follow Wonder, how much will they depend on this?first?one? What's the cost to the?following?five geniuses if the first one isn't?covered well, or even worse, just flat-out skipped over?
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Some leaders, understandably, are frustrated by the Wonder Genius. Some have the genius of Wonder, and some may have the genius and are even conflicted about having it! Regardless, Wonder is a requirement to get work done. As Lencioni says, "These six are required whether you're working on launching a product, organizing a nonprofit, or planning a vacation... These six types of genius are required for any work endeavor." Let's pause and consider the difficulty of being in the Genius of Wonder.
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Wonder is one of the reasons leaders give in to what Lencioni calls the adrenaline bias. They keep themselves too busy to recognize the need for this kind of conversation, pause the high-pressure, daily pace, hold the tension, resist the 'race to solve,' and ask, "Why?" Other leaders give in to the sophistication bias and search for the latest and greatest methodology or process to save them, solve problems, and move forward sooner. Still others give in to the quantification bias and distract themselves with data and reports. The point is that many leaders will do anything to avoid going through the process of Wonder. I'm dating myself here, but when leaders avoid the Genius of Wonder, I flashback to watching Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory as a kid. I see leaders as parents on the boat entering the Tunnel of Terror. In his thick Swedish accent, Mr. Salt says, "Hang on! Where are we going?" Another asks, "What is that tunnel up there?" Violet's dad shouts, "Hey Wonka, I want off!" Why is it so hard to Wonder? Because honestly, Wonder can be scary at times as we consider a possible unknown future and the changes that come with it.?
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But there is hope and light on the other side of the wonder tunnel. The Genius of Wonder – while, at times, can feel like 'good idea, not so good timing' – is often the catalyst to find a critical miss, to ponder a different potential (when locked on a current approach), and to remind us from time to time to ask ourselves…why do we do things our current way? What is needed next? These questions can be intimidating or challenging to reflect on. Without the Genius of Wonder giving permission to consider freely, we can start from a place of 'where we are,' which can diminish our ability to question honestly and even significantly move in a different direction.?These Wonder?conversations should occur?more and more?in organizational health work.?They?should happen much earlier and far more often. This suggestion does not mean your team is a train wreck and needs intervention. Instead, just as an organization needs to transform, the leadership team must be the catalyst and embrace the ability to question themselves while minimizing being defensive or dismissive.?Wonder challenges the status quo. Wonder asks the hard questions.
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It's tough to be a leader. Leaders need team members who will support them in the Genius of Wonder.?Leaders need people around them to hold that tension, not resolve it. Leading a transformation of organizational health is a challenging task, and when done well, it contains frequent (but quick!) pauses & reflections. As Lencioni says, "At every step in the process, the leader must be out front, not as a cheerleader or a figurehead, but as an active, tenacious driver…they must be the first to do the hardest things, like demonstrating vulnerability, provoking conflict, confronting people about their behavior…" And later, "If all of this sounds daunting, that's because it is. People who lead healthy organizations sign up for a monumental task—and a very selfless one… The truth is, being the leader of a healthy organization is just plain hard. But in the end, it is undeniably worth it." We must be friends?and teammates?who remind these leaders that leading an organization will be painful and difficult but also worth it. We can most easily reckon with these realities in the space of Wonder.?
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I have some examples to share with you.
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The strong draw of Galvanizing, Enablement, and Tenacity (GET'er done!)
I recently worked with a client who was trying to Galvanize me that he was ready to do a major expansion and franchise his prototype. I was honest with him and told him that?we should?stay in the Genius of Wonder since I hadn't seen that work take place on his part. There was mutual trust, so I was genuinely open to the fact that I could be wrong, and hearing?me out, he knew I meant no ill will. So he stopped trying to convince me, and I stopped giving in to the pressure to relieve his tension or be convinced. It made him think, and he slowed down and had crucial conversations with his executive team. He later acknowledged that this simple decision on my part helped him slow down and think. He realized he was racing to Tenacity and trying to get my endorsement. You can't rush the Genius of Wonder. It needs time in that liminal space.
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Who are you, and what happened to the other guy?
I work with some leaders who are described by their teams as different people now, with significant change taking place along the way. One team I worked with now calls their leader Jeff 2.0. How did we know that he had changed? We sat in meetings with team members who displayed similar dysfunctional behaviors from the past, but back then, we saw him react entirely differently. Jeff 1.0 would react, argue, get animated, and make things worse. Jeff 2.0 listened, asked questions, and brought clarity and closure. In one particular instance, we sat in silence after this type of display. Many, like me, sat there with jaws dropped. One brave soul broke the silence, asking, "What's up with you, Jeff?" We all wanted to know what prompted this change! He went on to describe his process. It was not a brainstorming session in front of whiteboards or flip charts. He went for a three-day silent retreat. He listened. He reflected. A spiritual director guided him. In that space, he saw the brute facts of reality and the impact of his approach, and he found the hunger to change. Truth is stranger than fiction.
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Two equally right choices for different leaders
I once asked a CEO to fly to meet with another CEO I was working with. I believed both needed to be in the Genius of Wonder – before we even called it that! We took our time and ate a great meal together with the host family. And then, over several bottles of wine (the great elixir of truth), we wondered. We wondered about the indescribable burden of leadership. We wondered about the art and science of building healthy teams. And similar to the fable in Pat's book,?The Motive , each leader came to an epiphany and was ready for the next phase, the Genius of Invention. One wanted to explore the best ways to succeed and manage himself out of the business. One went to look for options to rebuild her team from the inside out. Both made good on their convictions, and both organizations were transformed. This?story?is consistent with Pat's opening line at the Global Leadership Summit 2019. He bravely told a global audience of over 100,000, "I know you are here to learn about leadership. But the truth is, less of you should be leaders." Instead of throwing things at Pat, the crowd erupted in humble laughter. This disarming, self-deprecating humility can lead to the most challenging, most freeing wonder conversations.?
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What is the question?
Building on Pat's message above, I have noticed leaders avoiding a tough & critical question. "Am I the right leader now for the organization?" The hesitation is understandable, and facing this question can bring great anxiety and stress. Many leaders amid transformation encounter a fork in the road. They realize their team and organization need a different type of leader. That "other" leader is either (1) one of many great leaders in this world who is qualified to lead that phase of the organization's lifecycle (and each phase needs a different type) or (2) a different version of themself that?may need some adjustments or possibly significant change.
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Helping face this moment is spending time in the Genius of Wonder. Do I have what it takes now? Do I have what is needed now? Am I up for the task or the adjustment now? The simple answer sometimes is 'no', but not because a leader is a bad person, an idiot, or a failure. No one truly has what it takes. That's why team members need to stop,?help our leaders?go to wonder, be vulnerable, and?offer?help. Remember Lencioni's message above for leaders: be out front as an active, tenacious driver…be the first to do the hardest things, like demonstrating vulnerability and asking important questions to inspire reflection & powerful dialogue.
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Yes, we can all benefit from the Genius of Wonder. We?can help slow things down and even back them up when leaders are trying to Galvanize us or, worse, disguise Enablement and Tenacity as Galvanizing. And we don't have to convince or coerce?others?to do this. We can honestly (and graciously) remain unconvinced. We can remain skeptical that the status quo is sustainable. We?can pause when leaders or teammates?pull the ol'?Ready, Fire, Aim!?as they?go through options and?propose solutions before we've even defined the core problem. We can remain unconvinced while others scramble to ease the tension. When we politely pause the invitation to "fix things" before there's even clear alignment of the core problem, we help create space for Wonder. Team members may view you?as obstinate if you have the Genius of Wonder.?And that might be true at times.?No one applies the Geniuses perfectly. But, if you have the Genius of Wonder, don't hold back either.?Because at your?best you might guide your leader and teammates to benefit from?the stubborn, effective, irritating, beautiful Genius of Wonder.
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Why is it so hard for some to wonder? Peer pressure? Stress? Fear? Ambiguity? The desire to move to other geniuses in the model, to resolve and get to action? It's different for each person. But I certainly hope it occurs more and more for leaders who aspire to master the disciplines of organizational health and lead their people through a transformation. Teams will be less dysfunctional, their ability to address more challenges will be increased, and people will be less miserable at work and be more fulfilled.