 Dick Richards' new book Is Your Genius at Work?
is designed for people contemplating a career change. Its focus is on
helping people find their genius -- the one thing they are especially
and uniquely good at, and then finding application for that genius in
the work world. Its audience is anyone who believes they are currently
doing less than they could or should, both for their own fulfillment
and to make a contribution to the betterment of the world. It's
especially valuable for those who are in need of an ego-boost
-- those who don't believe they have genius, and don't believe they are
especially good at anything.
There is no rocket science to Richards' process. It is essentially a workbook, in the vein of Bolles' What Colour Is Your Parachute?
but less focused on researching jobs at the
intersection of What you love, What you're good at, and What's needed,
and more on identifying and naming What you're good at, and Why you're here.
Like Parachute, Genius is full of exercises, and I worked through them to see whether they provided insights different from Parachute's.
Richards seems to take it on faith that What you're good at is
congruent with What you love. I think that's debatable, but perhaps it
doesn't matter -- since the exercises get you to identify both, and
then find 'common denominators', the result is one genius, one talent,
that lies at the intersection between them (spaces 2 & 3 in my
diagram above).
I particularly liked the 'sales pitch' at the
start of the book for working through it. Many people give up too
easily on self-discovery exercises like this because they're not
sufficiently convinced that the outcome is worth the effort. The
arguments Richards makes for discovering and applying your genius are:
(a) stronger sense of identity, (b) clearer sense of direction, (c)
increased self-confidence, (d) language to communicate the value you
can add, and (e) greater satisfaction and productivity in your work.
The
four stage process outlined in the book is (1) discover (recognize)
your genius, (2) ask yourself whether your current job/career makes
good use of it, (3) discover your purpose, and (4) ask yourself whether
your genius is being (or can be) applied to fulfill your purpose. Your purpose is your self-acknowledged reason for living, what you feel you were born to do.
Richards
posits several 'restrictions' or 'conditions' to force you to narrow
your (many) talents and passions to your one true genius:
- You have a genius.
- You have only one genius.
- Your genius has been with you your whole life.
- Your genius is natural and spontaneous.
- Your genius is a positive, rather than destructive, energy.
- Your genius is what it is, not what you would wish it to be.
- Your genius' name consists of one gerund (word ending in -ing) followed by one noun.
- Your genus is unique to you.
When
you've recognized your genius, Richards says, you'll know it.
Alternatives won't improve the name you've given it. It will be
specific enough to be truly unique (already directing your mind towards
how that uniqueness could distinguish and fulfill you if it were
properly applied). It will be powerful. And, while it may take some time to reveal itself and may evolve over time, it will prove durable.
If identifying your genius proves elusive, Richards recommends looking at the following:
- Your disrepute: Things you do passionately that others criticize you for
- Your frustrations: Things you are discontented with
- Your elation: Things that bring you great joy and sense of accomplishment
- What you offer: Things you give to others openly and voluntarily
- Your interests: Things that pique your imagination and attention
- Your successes: Things that worked well, that were easy for you
- Images that attract you: Art and models that resonate with your perception of reality
The process for recognizing your genius is less rational and more intuitive and emotional than Bolles' Parachute
discovery process, more a process of self-realization than research and
self-analysis. This works for me, since I enjoy that kind of exercise
and am reasonably good at it. But I'm not sure it can work for
everyone. If you really don't know yourself, I can imagine you would
find this book frustrating.
Richards spends only two pages on
the second stage of the process: Asking yourself whether your current
job/career makes good use of it, or could be changed to make good use
of it. He knows, I think, that the people who will be attracted to this
book will probably answer this question in the negative, and trusts
each reader to decide for herself what to do about that.
For the
third stage, discovering your purpose, Richards again suggests a set of
'restrictions' or 'conditions' to narrow the candidates and help you
hone in on your one true purpose:
- Your purpose must be discovered, not invented
- Your purpose is directed outward -- it is the specific, tangible way in which your genius, your gift, is given to the world
- Knowing your purpose allows you to be more intentional and effective in fulfilling it
- Your purpose gives focus and meaning to your life and directs your decisions on what to do
And, again, if identifying your purpose proves elusive, Richards suggests looking at the following:
- Your strong emotions: What stirs you
- What other people ask of you: How they see your purpose
- Unexpected occurrences and turning points: Life events that might at least suggest what is not your purpose after all
- Your suffering: What you have had the courage to survive and overcome
- Meditation or prayer: Revelations that come from quieting your mind
- Your
family history: What your family has seen as its purpose, and has
suggested, with their special knowledge of you, might be yours
- Recurring ideas: Ideals and intentions and unmet needs and possibilities that have intrigued you for much of your life
And
finally, redirecting your genius so it is focused on achieving your
purpose requires, in addition to a lot of thought and energy and
passion, a sense of personal responsibility, a sense of knowing your
own heart, a sense of deep self-awareness, and personal courage. These
personal qualities and capacities both emerge and find expression
through the realization of your purpose by applying your genius.
The
book is well-written, concise, un-preachy, illuminating, and
down-to-earth, and I would recommend it not only because it can help
you with your next career move, but more profoundly because it can help
you to realize yourself, be happier and more fulfilled in all aspects
of your life, and, in the process, make the world a better place.
What is your genius? What is your purpose? And is the former helping you achieve the latter?
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