Finding Your Genius Zone

Stop being comfortably numb. Step into the next phase of your career with confidence, conviction and clarity

Everyone has a unique combination of talents where we do things better than almost everyone else. Have you stopped to figure out what that means for you?

At a time when companies are talking about talent management, purpose and diversity of experience, we can no longer deny the obvious: we all have a place in which our strengths, passions and approach align and we experience our greatest potential. That place is — your Genius Zone — where you do things better than just about everyone else. It is a one-of-a-kind superpower — it’s what makes you uniquely you.

Working with mid-career professionals in transition, I’ve unfortunately found, most lose sight of their unique strengths or even wonder about its existence. During any career change, there are times when we start to question, ‘who we are and how we’re making an impact.’ As a result, we may feel out of sorts, unbalanced, and uncertain about the road ahead.

Working with Rob Delange, an executive coach and expert in career transitions, I uncovered how this mindset shift to identifying your personal ‘zone of genius’ is an essential element in career navigation. Here’s what I learned from co-facilitating workshops with Rob.

Let’s start with the basics, what the heck is your zone of genius?

The author Gay Hendricks identified four zones in which we operate, suggesting spending more time in our, Genius Zone, “where we actively pursue things that offer them fulfillment and satisfaction.” But first we need to figure out what that is….

1. The zone of competence, in which we perform tasks quite well because we know how to do them, but they don’t set us on fire (for me that would be spreadsheets — ugh!).

2. The zone of incompetence, in which we experience real difficulty as the tasks before us are beyond our capability or comprehension. Others could do these activities better in a shorter amount of time (for me that would be fixing a car- believe me, I’ve tried and it’s never gonna happen!).

3. The zone of ​​excellence, where we operate at a high level of skill and are recognised for our achievements (for example organizing an online Zoom event). This is a very attractive zone to be in — you may be paid very well for it — but it is also a trap. Most people are not nourished by excellence and may feel called to do more. It’s the search for ‘extra’ that motivates us to get out of the zone of excellence and into ….

4. The zone of genius, which is where we’re doing our peak work with optimum focus, making full use of our skills, talents and innate gifts. In this zone, we are absolutely our authentic selves and have a strong sense of confidence about the tasks we’re accomplishing. When you’re operating in the genius zone, time flies by and work is meaningful and exhilarating.

Take a few minutes to mull over this question:

What are the activities that make you lose track of time so you never want to stop?

Is it really that easy? It’s not always straightforward.

Finding your zone of genius is as simple and as difficult as identifying the activities you could do for countless hours with joy. Take time for a bit of self-review as this will help you differentiate the tasks you love from the tasks you simply excel at:

● What activities do you love most of all, that you could not do without and that give you a deep sense of joy?

● In what area of your life are you 100% satisfied?

● What would people say are your two or three best qualities?

● Can you name some specific situations where you have brilliantly activated these qualities?

Look at your answers with care. The important thing to recognise is that your zone of genius is not just what you’re ‘passionate’ about or ‘good at’ or like the idea of.

In fact, it can often be something you may not love a whole lot initially — but you are naturally gifted at it.

Ultimately, finding your zone of genius is about gaining a greater clarity about your talents, creativity, energy, values ​​and objectives and then capitalising on that, rather than pouring everything into a role that leaves you feeling exhausted and empty.

It’s about being authentically you.

Stop being comfortably numb

I hear what you might be thinking — oh, this sounds wonderful — but I’m currently at a career crossroads. How does knowing my zone of genius support my career transition?

Well, in our experience, most people in career transition, and especially later-in-life careers transitioners, have lived their whole career in the zone of excellence and were absolutely successful there. But they have never harnessed their true potential or discovered their true calling. Ouch!

Once you understand your zone of genius, you are more easily able to see the work you are exceptional at, and the work you are not. You will no longer waste time seeking roles you ultimately will not like, and will hone in on the roles and activities with a far higher satisfaction ratio. It’s the gateway to making a lasting, meaningful change in your career where you finally love what you do. Or as Srinivas Rao rightly points out, it’s the “moment in all of our lives when we feel as if we are doing exactly what we were born to do.”

Curious to learn more? Find out — here — how your next phase of your life will be your best,