The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni

87. “Quit Your Job” and Start Living Your Genius

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May 20, 2025

What if quitting your job isn’t the answer? The discussion dives into the real reasons behind the desire to escape work, focusing on the importance of aligning one's talents with their job. Retirement often symbolizes freedom, but it might lead to purposelessness if not approached thoughtfully. The concept of Working Genius is highlighted as a tool for diagnosing dissatisfaction and discovering joy in work. Lastly, the hosts remind us that work should be a gift, offering ways to optimize roles for greater fulfillment.

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INSIGHT

Retirement Misunderstood Without Genius

Retirement often symbolizes freedom but lacks fulfillment if it ignores working genius.
Purpose and joy stem from engaging in what naturally energizes you, not merely stopping work.

ADVICE

Retire in Place Now

Don't wait for retirement to align your work with joy and energy.
Adjust your current role to fit what gives you energy and maximize earnings.

INSIGHT

Work as Activity, Not Title

Work is an activity of doing, not just a job or title.
True fulfillment comes from engaging in activities that feed your energy and joy.

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How can understanding and embracing your Working Genius help you redefine your concept of “work” and “retirement”?

In episode 87 of the Working Genius Podcast, Patrick Lencioni and Cody Thompson take on the increasingly common desire to quit work or retire early, questioning whether it's truly the job people want to escape—or the lack of fulfillment in how they work. Pat and Cody also explore how Working Genius can offer clarity and help people rediscover joy and meaning in their work.

Topics explored in this episode:

(00:00) Rethinking the Desire to Quit

* How many people want to quit their jobs or retire early, yet the issue often isn’t the job itself but a misalignment with a person’s genius.

(03:15) What Retirement Is Really About

* Unpacking cultural assumptions about retirement and how it often becomes a symbol of freedom.

* Pat warns that early retirement can be a form of escapism that leads to purposelessness.

(06:24) The Role of Working Genius in Fulfillment

* Working Genius can help you diagnose dissatisfaction at work.

* Cody encourages people to use their genius as a compass, not a constraint.

(09:54) The Gift of Work

* The hosts reflect on how work is meant to be a gift, not a punishment.

* Leaders are encouraged to help others find purpose in their work by matching genius to roles.

(13:14) The Real Cost of Quitting

* Quitting or retiring too early can rob people of meaningful impact.

This episode of The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni is brought to you by The Table Group: https://www.tablegroup.com. We teach leaders how to make work more effective and less dysfunctional. We also help their employees be more fulfilled and less miserable.

The Six Types of Working Genius model helps you discover your natural gifts and thrive in your work and life. When you’re able to better understand the types of work that bring you more energy and fulfillment and avoid work that leads to frustration and failure, you can be more self-aware, more productive, and more successful. The Six Types of Working Genius assessment is the fastest and simplest way to discover your natural gifts and thrive at work: https://www.workinggenius.com/about/assessment

Subscribe to The Working Genius Podcast on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4iNz6Yn), Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4iGGm8u), and YouTube (https://bit.ly/Working-Genius-YouTube).

Follow Pat Lencioni on https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-lencioni-orghealth and http://www.youtube.com/@PatrickLencioniOfficial.

Connect with Cody Thompson https://www.linkedin.com/in/cody-thompson-a5918850.

Be sure to check out our other podcast, At The Table with Patrick Lencioni, on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4hJKKSL), Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4l1aop0), and YouTube (https://bit.ly/At-The-Table-YouTube).

Let us know your feedback via podcast@tablegroup.com.

This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co.