We have a bit of a shift today, but not really. We're talking about organizational health. So how does that impact video projects exactly? It impacts everything. A big part of our whole creative partner approach deals with this. We start each project by bringing ideas together. Sometimes this is streamlined and simple, but the most rewarding feeling is bringing various departments and thinkers together to get on the same page. This can cause a lot of friction, which we argue is good.
By getting people together, we bring the best ideas out, get clear, and most often produce the most effective video campaigns. Here's the thing: we add the most value when we batch-produce content. To batch produce effectively, we need to know what's working the business and double down there. Additionally, we need to understand what needs to be fixed and problem-solve to make it work (if it's an area they hope to grow, of course). This all happens in our formal workshops with our clients. Nailing the deliverables is essential, but theres always an underlying mission of aligning departments and getting them to see this for more than video and photos but as tools, they can use to open doors, create opportunities and build culture. It's value.
So today, we're sharing a recent read and the excitement it's creating in Myelin and our other brands. In building a team, there are endless personality tests, situations, and friction. We're grateful to have a strong culture and make an impact on our clients and our crew, but this book feels like a cheat code to do it better and more intelligent than before.
Have you ever kicked off a new initiative that went nowhere, or you can't see the bigger picture, seen a great worker move up in job roles and burn out or feel frustrated in the day-to-day? Yeah, we all have. Patrick Lencioni's book "The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team" lays out a strong understanding of why things work naturally, fail, or areas businesses get wrong. As in most of his books, he lays it out in a creative story structure that's highly engaging. He also put together a fantastic and fast assessment you can take at The Table Group.
Here's my short takeaway from the book. There are three areas of work; Ideation, Activation, and Implementation. In our line of work, Ideation looks like this
Discovery
Relationship & Trust Building
Understanding their Needs
Thinking Big Together
Diagnosing the Problem(s)
Moving into Activation is our favorite part. This part moves slower but pays off long-term.
Highlighting the Plan
Nailing the Details
Creating Clarity
Removing Buyers-Remorse
Building confidence so creative work can move with momentum
Lastly is Implementation.
Doing the Creative Work
Crafting an Experience
Bringing Great Minds Together
Seeing Results of Hard Work
Diving in, he makes the case that there are 6 areas of genius, and everyone has two geniuses, two competencies, and two frustrations.
The 6 Types of genius
Wonder - Thinking big, questioning things, and dreaming
Invention - New Ideas, having a solid vision, and creation of the new
Discernment - Having the ability to assess a situation with excellent gut judgment
Galvanizing - Rallying the team around new ideas and getting them excited
Enablement - Supporting work, gifting resources, and ensuring people feel supported
Tenacity - Getting the job done and seeing it through ferociously
So instantly, I can sense people saying, "well, I do all those things, and I'm good at each." I felt the same, but the way he describes it is more feeling-based and understanding of what this does to long-term performance. He calls it the Sunday blues and how doing too much work in your areas of frustration or competencies leads to dissatisfied workers and burnout (heard of quiet quitting lately?).
Inversely working in your area of genius builds more energy and can be sustained almost indefinitely. Wild stuff. So what does this all mean for us?
When we look for partners, a big part is ensuring they are well-oiled machines. Video and marketing are often viewed as short-term fixes to problems and are often a reaction. We preach proactive marketing. This is more than just getting some videos done. It's understanding your organization's potential and turning your "marketing" into a plan of action. Marketing is just storytelling. So how good is your story? Rather than focusing only on getting new leads and customers, let's spend time building your internal team. How can that make you better so you can serve a better experience and more naturally land new leads effortlessly?
Assessments like the working genius are great. But, as a leader, I like to know my weak points. I have them (Invention and Tenacity). Knowing this, I have people who excel here and let me live in my strengths (Galvanizing and Enablement). Building a better business is a responsibility for my team and clients. Making the experience better has led to so much growth and kept us excited year after year.
My key takeaways
Do you see your Key strengths, competencies, and frustrations?
How could you step into your genius more?
Could you limit your frustrations more?
How could this impact your team?
If you enjoyed this article, I strongly encourage you to take the assessment and read the book. It's making big waves. I can't wait to see its impact internally and externally on Myelin.