Your Zone of Genius

Zone of Genius is a concept derived from the work of Peter Drucker, which describes the intersection of natural talent, passion, and available time.

It is the area of work where you can use your skills and abilities to their fullest extent, allowing you to reach your highest level of performance.

To find your own Zone of Genius, you must reflect on questions about what you love to do, what work doesn’t feel like work, and what unique abilities you possess.

Additionally, you must consider how you feel when doing certain tasks, why you love them, what people say you do naturally well, and what people ask you for help with.

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The X-axis is your best use of natural talent. The Y-axis is your best use of available time.

Psychologist Gay Hendricks developed this concept for his book, The Big Leap.

Defining the Zones

Incompetence: Where you aren’t great at your work because you lack the necessary skills, understanding, or internal drive to get it done. You struggle more than the average person.
Competence: You’re efficient at your work, but you don’t stand out compared to other people performing the same tasks. You get the job done to a satisfactory level.
Excellence: Where your skills outshine others in your work. You’ve likely learned, practiced, and developed these skills over time. With effort, you are exceptional compared to others.
Genius: Your greatest passion meets your natural talents, and you can leverage your innate abilities. It takes less effort and most people can’t access your unique level of performance.

How to Find Your Zone of Genius

Reflect on this set of questions to help clarify the set of work you are uniquely suited to do exceptionally well. Much of this comes down to how you approach what you do (vs. the work/output itself.) You’ve built & acquired many skills thus far in life, so it can be difficult to distinguish the most natural ones.

<aside> ✍️ Take time to think through and write down your reactions to the following questions.

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POV	Question to Consider	Might sound / feel like
💼 Work-related	What do I most love to do?	”I love it so much I can work for hours without getting bored.”
	What work doesn’t feel like work?	”When am I in a ‘flow state?’”
	What are my unique skills & abilities?	Stuff I can do that benefits me and the people I help
🤩 Feeling-specific:	What work gives me energy naturally?	When I feel energized, not drained.
	How do I feel when I’m doing this work?	Try the Emotions & Feelings cheat sheet
	Why do I love this work?	What does it mean to you?
Why is it important?
👥 People-related:	What do people say I do naturally well?	What other people have to study/work hard to be good at.
	What do people ask me for help with?	What ****people trust or rely on you for.

🛟 Need Help?

Hey, it’s Ryan! If something is confusing or unclear, don’t worry. I’ll take responsibility and could likely benefit from hearing about your experience. Email [email protected] with any questions, comments, or feedback.