Signets of Success: Leveraging A Zone Of Genius for Collective Impact
“Signets are based on the rider… It reflects who you are at the core of your being.” -Fourth Wing
Every person is unique and holds a different “power” within them or a ‘zone of genius.’ A zone of genius is the area in which you shine. When we think of business, zones of genius are incredibly important, especially when we are working collaboratively with a team.
No one is the best at everything (and, honestly, you wouldn’t want to be). That’s why, when you hone in on your specific zone of genius, and find a team where you can combine your individual strengths, magic happens.
Understanding Your Zone of Genius
Working in your zone of genius means leveraging your natural talents, skills, and passions to achieve excellence. In the Empyrean series, each character's signet reflects their unique strengths and abilities. Your zone of genius is where your natural talents, passions, and expertise intersect. Just like it’s mentioned in the series, signets are based on the rider, their strengths and what they need. Violet talks about Xaden being a big secret keeper, so he developed shadows, and Dain needed to know everything, so he developed a memory reading signet.
Your zone of genius is the work that comes effortlessly to you, the thing that energizes you instead of draining you. In the Empyrean series, riders’ signets are the ultimate representation of their zone of genius. They all highlight their unique strengths (even if they don’t know it, like Violet developing the strongest signet despite being the “weakest” rider). Each rider must learn to master their abilities and understand their limits and potential.
In business, knowing what you excel at (or what your team excels at) allows you to direct your efforts and their efforts more effectively and to avoid burnout. You can create a dream team with whom you have, once you understand and leverage the inherent gifts of your team. You’ll also be able to see the gaps that you need to fill and find team members who can fill them. Leveraging their zones of genius is where collaborative success and magic happen.
The Power of Collaborative Synergy
When individuals working in their zones of genius come together, the results can be breathtaking. Collaboration is the spark that ignites the collective genius of a team. When individuals with unique strengths and signets come together, their combined energy can overcome even the most daunting challenges.
In the Empyrean series, we see this time and again. They face a number of battles against the venin in the three books, where they are outnumbered and outskilled. But the characters’ abilities to work together and leverage each signet to its fullest is what makes them successful. Sure, Violet is the best weapon against the venin, but they never let her go out alone (or the venin could easily just outnumber her and slip by). They place her in the most strategic position for her lightning signet, and they place other characters in strategic places to support her and each other.
We see moments where Violet and Xaden ice everyone out and try to tackle things on their own. The result of these attempts is usually unsuccessful (or less successful).
It’s when they finally admit they need the help of others that their plans take off. For instance, in Iron Flame, when they’re trying to steal the journals of the first six, they finally enlist the help of their friends and utilize their collective signets to ensure their mission is successful. Xaden uses his shadows to navigate and conceal, Quinn uses her astral projection signet to project into a busy space and give them an alibi, Imogen uses her memory-wiper ability to wipe the memories of those guarding the vault, and so on. In the end, they successfully retrieve the journals to help the success of their overall revolution.
It works this way for your business, too. Let’s say you’re a business coach, and you’d like to have a really successful launch. You have assembled a great team to support this. Your strength is selling and teaching, so you show up on calls and webinars and lead the charge. You’ve hired a copywriter to help you create a high-converting sales page and emails, you have a fabulous integrator who has created a great strategy and plan, who can manage the project and ensure all of the steps are getting done, you have a Facebook Ads manager who can create stellar ads to build your email list, and you have a highly organized virtual assistant, who takes care of the details work and ensuring all of the pieces are set up. Trying to manage this on your own… It would be a nightmare, especially if things like ads and strategic plans aren’t your thing.
Leveraging everyone’s individual strength is the ultimate determiner of your overall success.
Identifying and Embracing Others' Zones of Genius
Success is about more than just understanding your own strengths—it’s about recognizing and valuing the strengths of others. You might be the CEO and be the best person to create the big vision overview of the company, but your strength lies in knowing where your teams’ strengths are and how to ensure they are put in places that capitalize on those zones of genius. In The Empyrean, the best teams aren’t made up of identical talents but of complementary ones.
For example, Violet’s strategic mind and thirst for learning make her an invaluable strategist, while Rhiannon’s physical combat expertise and brilliant leadership skills ensure her squad’s survival. They recognize each other’s abilities and lean into their roles instead of trying to be something they’re not. Rhiannon doesn’t put Violet in positions where the team relies on her physical strength and combat skills. As the leader, she knows where Violet’s talents can maximize the success of her overall squad.
In business, this means actively observing and appreciating what others bring to the table. It can take a bit of time to discover their true zone of genius (and how people’s talents can complement each other when they work together), so remaining open to shifting things around can be paramount.
Tips for recognizing zones of genius in others include:
Paying attention to what excites and energizes them
Observing where they naturally excel without effort
Noting what challenges they solve with ease
Encouraging team members to share their strengths and skills
Paying attention to how they answer questions or how they solve problems (specifically their process)
By acknowledging and leveraging these strengths, you create a team that operates seamlessly and efficiently.
Putting it into Practice
Understanding this concept is one thing… Applying it to your business is another. Violet knows and understands that working with her squad and using their collective signets and natural strengths is the best and most effective way to tackle what they need to do. But we see her struggle throughout the series with never wanting to put them in danger and going it alone (despite the fact that she is sometimes not the best person for the task). A lot of business owners struggle with this concept.
They feel like no one can do the job like them and that it’s easier just to try to do everything alone. Little do they realize… that sometimes not doing it like them is the best course of action.
Here’s how you can implement these lessons in your own business or team:
Audit Your Strengths: Identify where you perform best and what tasks drain your energy. Honest self-reflection is key here. You’re not the best at everything, so what are the areas you struggle with, are less good at, don’t like, or are simply not a priority? Then, figure out what your best skills are, where your focus should be, and what you enjoy doing. Figure out your gaps and what team members you have that can fill them or whom you need to hire.
Encourage Collaboration: Build partnerships with your team members where skills complement rather than compete. If you already have someone who is a strategic, analytical thinker and creates stand-out systems, don’t pair them with someone else who thinks the same. Pair them with someone who is a big-picture visionary. A details person with a visionary is a fabulous combination for creating strategies that align with big-picture goals.
Delegate Wisely: Assign tasks based on strengths rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all approach. Hiring one VA to do everything is not as strategic as hiring different people to do different jobs (when that is an option for you). Even VAs aren’t a know-everything solution. Hand out specific tasks in projects to those whose zone of genius flourishes there. It’s also okay to shift your team members around when necessary (after deliberation and discussion).
Communicate Openly: Foster a culture where strengths are recognized and celebrated. When everyone is in the right place for their zone of genius, wins happen all of the time. Find a way to celebrate all of the wins (even the small ones). Also, stay present and observant. Yes, as the CEO it can be difficult to find time to observe your team members, but keep an open door policy so you can both silently observe (and ensure they’re working where they are most effective), and you encourage an environment where your team members can come to you. Let them tell you how they feel about the work they’re doing or the position they’re in. If they feel they can come to you with ideas and concerns, it can help you ensure they’re in the best position for them.
By applying these principles, you can create an environment where everyone operates at their best, leading to greater productivity, creativity, and success.
Success isn’t about being the best at everything—it’s about knowing where you excel and aligning with others who complement your strengths. Just as Violet, Xaden, and their allies thrive by embracing their unique abilities and the strengths of their squadmates, so too can businesses and entrepreneurs.
By recognizing your zone of genius, valuing the strengths of others, and fostering collaboration, you can unlock unprecedented levels of achievement. As you move forward, take a lesson from The Empyrean—find your strengths, seek out powerful allies, and build something extraordinary together.
