Everyone Has a Zone of Genius. Here’s How to Find Yours.
This week was really weird. I got a dose of the Moderna vaccine and was out like a light for the better part of the weekend.
Fever, chills, dizziness. While sweating through a fever, nursing a migraine from hell, I was also job hunting.
It made me think,
Is this what I want to spend my last days on earth doing?
Job hunting for a job I may not enjoy?
In essence, I started thinking about what Gay Hendricks calls the Zone of Genius in his book The Big Leap.
In this article, I’ll talk about three things:
- Your Zone of Genius
- Why we don’t live in our Zones of Genius
- Why and How to discover your Zone of Genius
Ready? Let’s dive right in.
What Are The Three Zones of Work?
Gay Hendricks talks about 4 different zones.
- The zone of incompetence: this is where you are doing activities you are not skilled at.
- The zone of competence: In this zone, you are doing what you are efficient at, but who cares? Others are just as efficient as you. There’s nothing special about your skills here, nothing that separates you from the pack.
- The zone of excellence: In this zone, you are doing something you are tremendously skilled at. Excellence comes from time or deliberate practice. But over time, being in this zone will exhaust you.
- The final zone is your zone of genius.
What’s Your Zone of Genius?
The Zone of Genius is your sweet spot. The things you love to do, that are also high value and that contribute the most to your community. These are activities that are at the intersection of what you love, your mission and, your passion, but they also fulfill a valuable need for other people. Like, where can your natural gifts have the greatest impact?
In this zone, You are focused on your natural talents rather than activities that you learned. You are energized by your natural gifts, you feel refreshed by doing what you love.
Work feels like play.
You’re constantly in flow mode.
Everything feels effortless and easy.
And because you’re in flow mode, you consistently produce work that is differentiated, unique and set apart.
I love this.
If you’re a startup founder or creator, it’s incredibly important to leverage your genius and get other people recognise and leverage theirs. I believe this helps avoid burnout and creates a much healthier work culture.
The Connection Between Ikagai and Zones of Genius
Ikagai is a beautiful word that encompasses a reason to get up in the morning, your purpose for being alive, for being here on this planet.
Your Zone of Genius is related to the Japanese term, Ikagai. Ikagai is a beautiful word that encompasses a reason to get up in the morning, your purpose for being alive, for being here on this planet.
Here is a work Ikagai according to Michael Veltri summed up in a picture:
Gay Hendricks says that we gain more fulfilment and happiness when we spend more time on activities in our zones of genius.
What’s your Zone of Genius? What is the one thing you’re really good at, the thing that lights you up, and that other people see as highly valuable?
But wait.
Let’s talk about your zone of excellence and why it can be a scary place to be.
Your zone of excellence is where you’re good, but you’re comfortable. It’s where most people spend their time. It’s the parking lot to your zone of Genius; it’s your comfort zone. You’ve invested time and energy into learning a skill, so why give up good for great?
Why Don’t We Pursue Our Zones of Genius?
There’s a part of us that fears our success, fears our own greatness, fears our potential.
Gay Hendricks says there’s a part of us that fears our success, fears our own greatness, fears our potential.
This reminded me of that well-worn quote:
“Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, our greatest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”
We don’t pursue our zone of genius because once we’re satisfied with our lives, we get to a point where we’re comfortable.
This is called an Upper Limit problem.
What are Upper Limit Problems?
An upper limit problem is the glass ceiling that we bump into when our dreams are within our reach. It is the limiting beliefs that keep us small even when we are capable of so much more.
It is the voice of self-sabotage that speaks to us when we want to dream bigger. It’s the fear of failure, fear of outshining others (like siblings, family members or close friends). It’s when you’re close to getting the promotion of your dreams, but you suddenly stop putting in the work and pass up the opportunity. When you finally get into a good relationship, and then start a fight out of nowhere. When you lose weight, only to reward yourself with a sugary dessert and gain the weight back.
But I digress.
Ask These Questions to Find your Zone of Genius
Here are some questions I’ve been thinking about that might help. Block some time off in your calendar. Take some time to yourself and write down your answers.
You can also record them in a voice note or video for yourself. I have mine on a post-it that reminds me what work I should be doing.
- What feels good and easy for you to do?
- What could you spend the whole day doing?
- What do you love to do?
- What kind of work feels natural and effortless to you, but seems difficult to others? (Like writing, strategy, public speaking, problem solving)
- What did you spend your childhood doing, that if you did today could be considered work? (Talking in class. Lol. Gardening, dancing, bossing people around, planning parties, building toys or outdoor houses, games, selling things).
- What would you do even if no one paid you to do it?
Why is Your Zone of Genius Important?
According to billionaire investor, Charlie Munger (Warren Buffet’s business partner), you’re more likely to be successful at something you’re naturally gifted at, something you’re obsessed with. This is because what seems like work to others is fun for you, and that’s difficult to compete with.
Have you ever tried to outplay a toddler? They’re living in the moment and nothing else matters in that moment but the joy they get from their little game.
You can’t compete with that. When you’re being your most authentic self, there’s only one you and there’s no competition.
So, may you live in your Zone of Genius and inspire others to live in theirs.
Let me know, what are your zones of genius?
