Working Genius in Teams with Dave and Travis

Episode Summary:

In this  episode we chat with Font Awesome founders, Travis Chase and Dave Gandy. We delve into the intricacies of team dynamics and working relationships within the Font Awesome team. Using Patrick Lencioni's 6 Types of Working Genius framework, the episode dissects the leadership styles, strengths, weaknesses, and the collaborative fabric that help make Font Awesome successful.

Dave and Travis talk about how they navigate through frustrations in the workplace and strategies they've learned to capitalize on each other's strengths. Various aspects of the framework are highlighted, illustrating real-life examples where certain geniuses shine within the team's projects. 

Key Takeaways:

• Long-standing relationships between team members can lead to a deep understanding of each other's working styles and a healthier team environment.
• The Working Genius framework can be particularly useful in identifying and playing to the strengths of team members in various project phases.
• The 'Wonder' and 'Invention' geniuses play a pivotal role in the creative process, while 'Discernment' ensures ideas are viable.
• Understanding and accommodating for 'Working Frustrations' is crucial in team settings to avoid conflict and help productivity.
• Diversity in team geniuses is important not only to cover all areas of project development but also to foster unique perspectives to find solutions.

Notable Quotes:

• "One of the creators of WuFU was one of our mentors in YC, was in that interview. And I just remember there was a point in which they started not only talking about business, but design in business, and how design business and how a company grows, how important it is. And it was just like two wonder bombs going off." - Travis
• "The differences between people are how in our own deficiencies, that's how they get covered over. We work with other people that have those as geniuses instead of frustrations, and that's how we all together work better together." - Dave
• "There's an infinite amount you don't know, and that's not the daily assumption and how you act, then the world is a very weird place around what we don't know." - Travis
• "We are amazingly good at fooling ourselves, especially around our own capabilities, our own importance, and our own intelligence." - Dave

Show Notes: 

• The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions
• The 6 Types of Working Genius 

Timestamp
0:00:08 | Introduction to the podcast and discussion of working dynamics
0:01:29 | Reflecting on working with Dave during the YC interview
0:04:31 | Travis's working frustrations with Dave's wonder
0:08:25 | Dave's working frustration with "E" (Enablement)
0:09:23 | Importance of having all 6 working geniuses on a leadership team
0:10:30 | Travis emphasizes the importance of not avoiding frustrations.
0:11:35 | Dave asks about discernment and its importance.
0:11:44 | Travis explains the working competencies of the team members.
0:12:30 | Dave discusses Lindsay's unique perspective as a designer.
0:13:32 | Travis and Dave discuss the critical role of discernment in design.
0:14:32 | Travis and Dave talk about Brian's genius in scriptwriting.
0:16:22 | Travis emphasizes the importance of collaboration and diverse perspectives.
0:18:02 | Dave highlights the benefits of teamwork and listening to each other.

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