We’ve all got talent. But how do we describe it and use our talents to stand out?
What is talent
Talent is inborn. We each have our own. Over years we practice and nurture our talents…whatever they are. Talent is constant. We rarely think about it. We just exhibit.
Talent shapes our reactions and patterns of behavior. It starts as natural talents we have. How we strengthen those talents determines how far talent take us.
How do we identify our natural talents?
Most never stop to think about or identify their talents. They hide them under the proverbial bushel basket.
What do you do naturally better than most?
Think of things you grasp quicker than your peers.
Concepts you hold longer than other people. (Reviewing recent projects often helps.)
Dribbling basketball? Painting or sculpting? Debating. (With kids we might call it arguing.) Prevaricating (think politicians, good ones never answer anything. Come to think of it, kids are also pretty good at prevaricating.) Quickly seeing concepts? Ability to explain complex subjects. Seeing how formulas work (I never could do this one worth a darn.)Communicating clearly?
Getting people behind your ideas and concepts?
Building high producing teams?
Having trouble identifying your natural skills? Sometimes doing opposite helps. What don’t you do well? Then look at their opposites to see natural talents.
Don’t confuse talent with skills. Talents are natural. They are hard-wired. You do them unconsciously. Skills on other hand are learned.
You may know how to dribble a basketball. But dribbling through your legs is learned skill.
Why is talent difficult to describe? The term lacks substance. The word alone does not describe anything. Talent acquires meaning when term is connected to something specific.
Learning tip: Always combine word “talent” with specific skill or trait. “She has wonderful talent for discerning issues with a product.”
Interviewing questions to identify of candidate has talent.
Ask person about difficult project they oversaw. What did they learn? Listen to their description. Did they see challenges and make changes as they went along? (Indicating flexibility. Willingness to change.)
Describe a project candidate might work on. Ask them how previous experience would benefit? (Answer does not matter, how innovative and flexible is answer.)
How are they motivated to improve themselves? (Do they tie concepts together?)
Ask them to describe project that required flexibility? (Did their answer also indicate curiosity?)
What have previous assignments taught them that helped on future assignments?
How does person improve themselves?
Present partial solution and see what questions person asks. Then change context to see how well person shifts gears.
Explain a project then ask them to summarize. How well did they follow key take-aways?
Think of questions that require person to explain “how” versus “what.” If people keep returning to past answers it is warning they may have skills but lack talent needed for this assignment.
Pitfall when evaluating talent
Frequent mistake leaders and others make. Talk to individual about couple projects and find they lack talent. Then come to conclusion person generally lacks talent. Highly dangerous conclusion.
I fell into this myself. Had individual on team but we always found him lacking talent. New project came up. I was about to make same mistake. Team member spoke up and pointed out that John had great talent resolving similar problems. Team member was reading situation correctly. John did fantastic job and we discovered talent we never knew about.
How does your talent stand out?
Listing and maximizing natural talents
Communicating clearly and succinctly.
Leading so people behind your ideas and suggestions.
Motivating, training and developing team members for increased responsibility.
Show the world your talent!
Tom Ferree is the founder of Ferree & Associates and SecureEmploy, organizations focused on helping companies find exceptional talent and helping professionals advance their careers. Since founding Ferree & Associates in 1977, Tom has worked extensively with hospitality companies, executives, and rising leaders across the industry. Through SecureEmploy, he shares practical career strategies, leadership insights, and real-world advice to help professionals grow their careers and help organizations build stronger teams.
