What Is the Working Genius of Discernment?

“I feel like that will work!”

Not every idea is a good one—and that’s not actually a problem.

This week we are talking about the Working Genius of Discernment. I’m going to guess you either love it or you hate it. (This is one of my very favorites, so you know where I stand.) 😊

Have you ever had a good idea, or what you thought was a good idea, and then someone in your life said “Oh, that’s not going to work at all.” or “Yeah, but we can’t do that because….?”

And deep down, somewhere, you know that it’s good to evaluate ideas and make sure they’re valid.

But at the same time? It still kinda hurts.

You have these brilliant ideas that come in like a lightbulb…. and then someone pops your bubble and you just feel, well, deflated.

So what, exactly, is the Working Genius of Discernment?

Discernment is the D in WIDGET, and it reminds us that not every idea is a good one—and that’s ok.

Real Discernment means evaluating ideas without killing them, squashing them, and lighting them on fire. (I mean, some ideas seem to arrive at the party wearing highly flammable pants, so…)

Discernment is meant to be healthy feedback, not criticism (of yourself OR others.)

Sometimes it might look like overthinking or second-guessing everything. It can even look like avoiding decisions because you’re evaluating and re-evaluating the idea.

(Did anyone come to mind there?) 🤣

A good Discerner needs to be able to separate intuition from fear and the noise inside, and outside, their head.

Discernment is not about shutting things down. It’s about aligning and choosing what actually fits.

Someone with the Working Genius of Discernment uses their gut PLUS their wisdom and experience to assess. It’s their initial judgement.

It might sound like, “This one feels like the right direction.” Or “That’s great in theory, but I’m not sure that will work in practice.” Maybe even, “Let’s tweak this just a bit so it will be a smooth shift.”

Like the others, this Working Genius is not more or less important. It’s a crucial part of any job, task, or plan.

It also has the potential to trigger someone else’s creative spark if it’s not approached with respect and openness.

Because when someone brings an idea forward, they may not be asking you to fix it, judge it, or send it immediately to the garbage bin. (Where it might live next to ““Can you resend the thing I didn’t read?” and “Can everyone weigh in?”)

They may just be letting the lightbulb flicker for a minute.

This is also where boundaries come in. Sometimes the boundary is trusting your own read. Sometimes it’s giving someone else’s idea room to breathe before you weigh in.

And YES! Discernment is one of my Geniuses. 🎉

Understanding what that means has had a HUGE impact on my relationships—especially with my family.

Instead of them thinking I was always shooting down their ideas, they could understand that I was just trying to find the best solution.

In turn, instead of me wildly discerning, left and right, I now understand what’s actually going on, and that sometimes is a REALLY good idea to just keep my opinions to myself. Apparently, my Discernment does not need to be released into the wild every time it has a thought. Who knew?

Your invitation is this:

Notice if you might be the one who’s always redirecting someone’s ideas.

Or if you feel crushed when someone in your life is often telling you you’re ‘wrong’ (hopefully not in those words.)

Unsure about your Discernment status? You can take the assessment here.

Either way, remember that we ALL want things to go well.

Even if it takes a few rounds to get there.