Three Stages of Work
Move ideas through activation before asking people to execute
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 98%
The Three Stages of Work model groups the six working geniuses into a project flow. Ideation uses Wonder and Invention to question the current state and create possible answers. Activation uses Discernment to evaluate and refine the idea, then Galvanizing to build commitment around a chosen direction. Implementation uses Enablement and Tenacity to provide support and finish the work. The crucial bridge is activation. When a team jumps straight from ideation to implementation, creators blame executors for poor delivery while executors blame creators for sending unusable ideas. The model also gives meetings a phase-specific purpose: a team can explicitly brainstorm, evaluate, rally, or execute rather than allowing every contribution to compete at once. Although real projects loop between phases, naming the active phase reduces premature detail, late reinvention, and ambiguous instructions.
Origin
Lencioni illustrated the model with Nike teams whose ideas suffered when work moved from product ideation directly into implementation without activation.
Core principles
- 01Work moves through ideation, activation, and implementation
- 02Activation translates an idea into a direction people can execute
- 03The flow is not perfectly linear, but each phase needs explicit attention
- 04Teams work better when everyone knows the current phase
How to run it
- 1
Ideate
Use Wonder to expose the question or opportunity, then Invention to generate possible answers. Keep implementation constraints from closing the conversation too early.
Pro tip Frame the session as WID when the team must wonder, invent, and begin discerning.
Watch out Do not let a desire for timelines replace exploration before the idea is ready.
- 2
Activate
Use Discernment to refine the idea and decide whether it is sound. Then use Galvanizing to make the direction clear and rally the people who will carry it forward.
Pro tip State clearly whether enthusiasm is ideation or a real call to act.
Watch out Skipping activation sends underdeveloped ideas to implementation.
- 3
Implement
Use Enablement to supply practical help and Tenacity to drive closure against the agreed plan.
Pro tip Protect implementers from unnecessary reopening once the launch window begins.
Watch out Late brainstorming can destabilize work that now needs completion.
- 4
Mark transitions
Tell the team when the project moves between phases and what forms of contribution are now needed. Loop back only when evidence warrants it.
Pro tip Use the phase name in agendas and project updates.
Watch out Assuming everyone senses the transition creates conflicting expectations.
In the wild
Nike's ideation group created product concepts and passed them directly to implementation. Creators wondered why execution was weak, while implementers wondered why the ideas were not better. The missing activation stage had left nobody responsible for refining the idea and rallying people around an executable direction.
→ The three-stage diagnosis explained the handoff failure and identified the missing work between concept and execution.
An invention-and-galvanizing founder shares an exciting possibility with implementers. Instead of letting them assume immediate action, the founder says the team is only ideating and wants discernment. Once the idea is chosen, the founder explicitly switches to galvanizing and asks for commitment.
→ The team avoids premature execution and knows when the direction becomes real.
Common mistakes
Skipping activation
An unrefined idea lacks the evaluation and commitment needed for reliable execution. Put discernment and galvanizing between creation and delivery.
Mixing every phase in one conversation
Brainstormers reopen decisions while finishers force premature closure. Name the active phase and constrain the meeting accordingly.
Treating the flow as rigid
Projects use some of every genius throughout and may loop. The stages focus attention; they do not prohibit justified iteration.
Is it for you?
Best for
Cross-functional teams moving a product, initiative, or decision from an open question to completed delivery.
Not ideal for
Tiny routine tasks whose answer and execution path are already known.
From the transcript
“the three stages go from ideation to activation to implementation.”
“if you go straight from ideation to implementation, which is what they were doing, the people in ideation are like, "Why don't those people implement…”
“it's just the language and knowing what stage of the conversation you're in or the project you're in or the work that you're in.”
From the episode
Patrick Lencioni: The Genius Way to Crush Team Burnout and Unlock Peak Productivity
Patrick Lencioni