LeadershipPersonal GrowthHuman Resources

Your Company’s Genius Featuring Matthew Lencioni

Patrick Lencioni
Patrick Lencioni•Mar 24, 2026

Why It Matters

Recognizing a firm’s Working Genius pairing helps leaders align talent, culture, and strategy, driving better performance and employee satisfaction.

Key Takeaways

  • •Companies exhibit dominant Working Genius pairings influencing culture.
  • •In‑N‑Out exemplifies Enablement + Tenacity (ET) focus on speed.
  • •Chick‑fil‑A blends Galvanizing with Enablement, adding customer warmth.
  • •Dutch Bros reflects Galvanizing + Enablement (GE) enthusiastic encouragement.
  • •Starbucks aligns with Discernment + Tenacity (DT) operational efficiency.

Summary

The Working Genius podcast hosts Pat Lanchon and Cody Thompson explore how the six‑type Working Genius model can be applied to entire organizations, not just individuals. In this episode they invite Matthew Lencioni to test the theory live, asking whether companies exhibit a dominant Genius pairing that shapes culture and performance.

Through a series of quick case studies they identify each firm’s primary Genius letters. In‑N‑Out is classified as ET (Enablement + Tenacity), emphasizing ultra‑fast service and disciplined execution. Chick‑fil‑A blends Galvanizing and Enablement, adding a warm, encouraging customer experience. Dutch Bros is labeled GE (Galvanizing + Enablement), focusing on enthusiastic encouragement. Starbucks, by contrast, aligns with DT (Discernment + Tenacity), priorit on operational efficiency and curated product choices.

Matt Lencioni highlights the importance of the second letter, noting that “the second letter makes a huge difference.” He cites In‑N‑Out’s unchanged menu as evidence of low invention, while Starbucks’ early paper‑cup innovation illustrates Discernment in action. The hosts also reference strategic anchors—founder personality, brand promise—to explain why certain pairings emerge.

The discussion suggests that understanding a company’s Genius profile can guide hiring, role placement, and strategic pivots. Leaders can assess whether prospective talent complements or clashes with the organization’s dominant Genius, improving cultural fit and operational effectiveness.

Original Description

How can you tell which Working Genius pairing defines the company where you work?
In episode 109 of the Working Genius Podcast, Patrick Lencioni and Cody Thompson explore whether organizations have a dominant Working Genius pairing just like individuals do. Joined by Matthew Lencioni, they test the idea against well known brands and unpack how culture, customer experience, and leadership all point to a company’s natural strengths and blind spots.
Matthew Lencioni is part strategist, part behind the scenes operator, and fully immersed in the world of Working Genius. As a key voice at The Table Group, he helps translate big ideas into practical applications, while also keeping Patrick and Cody honest when their theories start getting a little too comfortable.
Topics explored in this episode:
(00:00:33) Can a company have a genius?
Patrick introduces the idea that organizations may have dominant Working Genius pairings just like individuals do.
Cody explains that company culture and customer experience often make those pairings visible to employees and customers alike.
(00:05:44) Comparing big brands
Patrick and Cody compare In N Out and Chick fil A to show how similar companies can operate from very different genius pairings.
They argue that In N Out reflects efficient service and execution, while Chick fil A leans more heavily into encouragement and relational energy.
(00:10:40) Starbucks, Shark Tank, and the role of discernment
Patrick and Cody examine Starbucks as a company shaped by discernment and tenacity through curation and operational consistency.
They also debate Shark Tank’s pairing and conclude that its format centers on evaluating opportunities and driving action.
(00:16:57) What WI companies struggle to do
The discussion shifts to wonder and invention, with Patrick and Cody noting that WI organizations may generate brilliant ideas without carrying them into activation or implementation.
They caution that employees with strong WI may need the right environment or the right role to feel fully used and energized.
(00:22:09) Founders, company bias, and practical implications
Patrick and Cody discuss how a founder’s genius can shape a company’s culture, using Dave Ramsey and The Table Group as examples.
Patrick closes by warning leaders not to push out employees with different geniuses, since companies need a fuller range of strengths than their dominant pairing alone provides.
This episode of The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni is brought to you by The Table Group: https://www.tablegroup.com. We teach leaders how to make work more effective and less dysfunctional. We also help their employees be more fulfilled and less miserable.
The Six Types of Working Genius model helps you discover your natural gifts and thrive in your work and life. When you’re able to better understand the types of work that bring you more energy and fulfillment and avoid work that leads to frustration and failure, you can be more self-aware, more productive, and more successful. The Six Types of Working Genius assessment is the fastest and simplest way to discover your natural gifts and thrive at work: https://workinggenius.me/about
Subscribe for more content from Patrick Lencioni @PatrickLencioniOfficial
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The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni
Be sure to check out our other podcast, At The Table with Patrick Lencioni, on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4hJKKSL), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/6NWAZzkzl4ljxX7S2xkHvu), and YouTube (https://bit.ly/At-The-Table-YouTube).
Let us know your feedback via podcast@tablegroup.com.
This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co.

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