Ever notice how some days at work feel like you’re flying, and others feel like you’re dragging a boulder uphill? That’s not just stress—it’s often a sign you’re spending too much time in the wrong kind of work. Enter the Working Genius Assessment: a tool that doesn’t just tell you what you’re good at, but also where you’re secretly getting drained. Spoiler: burnout isn’t about how many hours you work. It’s about which hours light you up—and which ones suck the life out of you.
The Six “Flavors” of Work:
Think of work like a recipe, with six essential ingredients. We all have two that feel like home (your Geniuses), two that are “meh” (your Competencies), and two that make you want to run screaming (your Frustrations).
- Wonder – asking the “what if?” questions. Your friend who can sit on the porch staring at the stars and dream up a dozen big ideas for the future.
- Invention – cooking up fresh ideas. The colleague who can walk into a brainstorming session and sketch out a brand-new product idea in minutes.
- Discernment – taste-testing and knowing what works. The teammate who can listen to three different pitches and immediately sense which one will resonate with clients.
- Galvanizing – rallying the crew to get moving. The team captain who gives the halftime speech that gets everyone fired up to win the game.
- Enablement – being the helpful sidekick. The friend who volunteers to drive everyone to the airport, no questions asked.
- Tenacity – finishing the project and tying a bow on it. The friend who insists on staying until the group puzzle is finished—even if it takes all night.
How Burnout Sneaks In
Burnout isn’t just too much work—it’s too much work in the wrong lane.
- If Invention drains you, endless brainstorming sessions feel like torture.
- If Tenacity isn’t your thing, a checklist that never ends will feel soul-crushing.
- If Wonder lights you up but you’re stuck in execution, you’ll feel boxed in.
The kicker? You can still do the work—it just costs you way more energy. Like driving a car with the emergency brake on.
Spotting the Energy Leaks
The magic of the Working Genius is that it names what you’ve probably felt all along:
- “This is easy for me, but wow, I’m exhausted afterward.”
- “Why do I get so much energy when I’m doing that?”
- “No wonder I feel fried—I’m living in my Frustrations!”
Once you see the map, it’s easier to figure out: Am I burned out because I’m overworked… or because I’m working in the wrong place?
Why Teams Should Care, Too
Here’s the fun part: burnout isn’t just personal, it’s contagious. If your team piles all the “frustration work” on one person, guess what? They’re going to check out—fast. When leaders use Working Genius, they can spread the work around so everyone gets a bigger slice of their Genius and less of their kryptonite. Suddenly, the team is humming, projects finish faster, and nobody’s ready to quit by Friday at noon.
The Burnout Cure = More Genius Time
Burnout happens when work feels heavy. But when you’re in your Genius, work can feel energizing—even fun. Bottom line: burnout doesn’t always mean you need a vacation. Sometimes, you just need a better fit.
With the Working Genius, you can:
✨ Spend more time in the work that gives you energy.
✨ Spot when you’re drowning in frustration tasks.
✨ Shift responsibilities (or just swap with a teammate who loves what you hate).
✨ Stop blaming yourself for being “bad at” something—it might just not be your wiring.
So maybe the real question isn’t, “How do I avoid burnout?”
It’s: “How do I spend more time in my Genius?”
Ready to Make a Change?
👉 Curious about your own Working Genius? Take the official assessment here: The Six Types of Working Genius
✨ Ready to put it into action? Book a call with Career Coaching by Kayo to review your assessment and create a personalized plan to end burnout—for good.
