Acquire the Talent of Identifying your Talent

U.S's President J. F Kennedy said, “Not every child has an equal talent or an equal ability or equal motivation, but they should have the equal right to develop their talent and their ability and their motivation, to make something of themselves.” The hidden message in President Kennedy’s words is a repudiation of the notion that talent is only found in a select group of “special people.”  According to this view, talent is reserved for professional athletes, movie stars and the winners of made-for-TV dance contests.  And, as the President noted, that’s flat wrong.

Talent is the capacity for excellence.

We are all born with talent.  It is an attribute of our species.  Talent is the capacity for excellence, and all of us have been endowed with that gift.  Like our opposable thumb, it is a characteristic that defines being human.  Every single one of us can do superior work. The challenge for job seekers, therefore, is three-fold: First, you have to make sure you have correctly identified your talent. Second, you have to make sure you’ve selected a career field in which you can work successfully with your talent. And third, you have to acquire the latest skills and knowledge in your career field so that you can actually use your talent to perform at your peak on-the-job. Let’s look briefly at each of those issues.

First, you have to make sure you have correctly identified your talent.

Talent isn’t passion.  You can love to play tennis, but never be good enough to pursue a career in the sport.  Talent, therefore, is the intersection of passion and practicality.  It is what you love to do and do well.

Some of us are lucky and discovered our talent easily.  We have “a calling” which points the way.  For most of us, however, that voice speaks too softly to hear without some work on our part.  We have to invest the time and effort to look around inside ourselves.

Here are three exercises to accomplish this inner search.  One, explore what most engages you; secondly look into what is most relevant to you; and a thirdly make an unconstrained choice.  Your talent lies where those three dynamics overlap.

Second, you have to make sure you’ve selected a career field in which you can work successfully with your talent.

Not every talent can be used effectively in every occupation.  For example, if a person’s talent is communicating complex ideas so that everyone can understand them, they are not likely to be successful in a field which requires the talent of athleticism.  They can be a sports writer, perhaps, but not a professional basketball player.

Unfortunately, most of us launch off on our careers before we’ve discovered our talent.  As a result, we may become competent or even expert in our profession, craft or trade, but we will never be fulfilled by our work.  In fact, more often than not, a lot of us are just plain miserable instead.

How can you figure out if your career field is the right place for your talent?  Take a look at the tasks you’ve performed in each of your previous jobs as you’ve listed them on your resume.  How close do they match what you love to do and do well?  If it’s less than 90 percent, you’re looking for a job in the wrong occupation.

And third, you have to acquire the latest skills and knowledge in your career field so that you can actually use your talent to perform at your peak on-the-job.

Talent is the capacity for excellence, not its achievement.  In order to perform at your peak on-the-job, therefore, you have to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to express your talent fully.  You must become expert enough to turn your potential for superior work into reality.

A person of talent sees themselves as a “work-in-progress.”  They are constantly improving their capabilities because each additional increment of expertise enables them to express a greater dimension of their inherent excellence.

To put it another way, they are so respectful of their talent they never stop trying to perfect it.  They don’t wait for their employer to offer training; they seek it out on their own.  They don’t put personal development on hold because they are in transition; they use ongoing education to plug the employment gap in their resume.

President Kennedy had it right.  We all deserve “an equal opportunity to develop our talents.”  And, that includes those of us who are looking for a new or better job.

Top 10 Valued Workplace Skills

If you think you have nothing left to learn after all the books you cracked in University, think again. There’s a whole set of business skills you probably weren’t taught in class, even if you were a business major. So as a new graduate, be sure to brush up on these ten essential job skills you’ll need to succeed in the workforce; communication, organizational, computer, interpersonal, analytical, leadership, problem solving, time management, mathematical and professional skills.

1.    Communication

• Negotiating; bargaining; persuading; debating issues without being unpleasant or abrasive to others

• Greeting people; representing others to the public; selling; demonstrating products or services

• Courteous telephone skills

• Reporting; conveying information; explaining issues or procedures

• Listening effectively

• Interviewing; drawing out others' views; probing for information

• Demonstrating skills in the use of language, grammar and punctuation

• Expressing ideas in written form; editing; revising; preparing concise and logically written materials

• Organizing and presenting ideas effectively for both formal and spontaneous speeches

• Participating in group discussions

2.     Organizational

• Identifying tasks to be accomplished

• Pulling elements together in an orderly, functional, and structured whole

• Facilitating discussions on program planning processes

• Facilitating brainstorming activities

• Giving constructive feedback on others' work

• Prioritizing tasks; getting most important work done first

3.    Computer

• Identifying and using appropriate software

• Identifying, analyzing, and solving hardware or technical difficulties

• Teaching others to use computer programs

• Understanding different application programs

• Using HTML and other web design tools

• Understanding and using different operating systems like UNIX and Windows

4.    Interpersonal

• Interacting effectively with peers, superiors, and assistants

• Understanding the feelings of others

• Analyzing behavior of self and others in group situations

• Demonstrating effective social behavior in a variety of settings and under different circumstances

• Maintaining group cooperation and support

• Making and keeping commitments to others

5.    Analytical/Critical Thinking

• Analyzing the interrelationships of events and ideas from several perspectives

• Identifying reasonable standards for assessing the appropriateness of an action

• Identifying the general principles that explain interrelated events

• Applying appropriate criteria to strategies and action plans

• Understanding and making logical arguments

6.    Leadership

• Motivating others towards the accomplishment of a common goal or vision

• Understanding and working to fulfill the needs of each team member

• Knowing, using, and properly allocating a team’s resources

• Effectively planning team activities

• Influencing the actions of team members by setting a good example

• Dealing with team disputes quickly, fairly and effectively

• Assigning duties and responsibilities effectively

7.    Problem Solving

• Effective problem solving and conflict resolution

• Anticipating problems before they occur

• Defining problems and identifying possible causes

• Identifying possible solutions and selecting the most appropriate ones

• Developing plans to apply new solutions

• Creating inventive solutions to complex problems

• Adapting one's ideas and behaviors to changing customs and rules

• Quickly and accurately identifying the critical issues when making a decision or solving a problem

8.    Time Management

• Managing and organizing projects while being conscious of schedules and deadlines

• Setting realistic goals

• Organizing work effectively; breaking projects down into manageable steps

• Prioritizing work to do most critical tasks first

9.    Mathematical

• Interpreting, manipulating, and using numerical data effectively

• Understanding and managing financial plans

• Understanding and controlling operating expenses

• Creating formulas

• Recognizing and understanding data in different forms (like graphs)

• Using precise data entry techniques; analyzing data

• Recognizing abnormalities or mistakes in data

10. Professional

• Representing an organization through appropriate dress, language, behavior, and business ethics

• Complying with the company's written and unwritten rules and expectations

• Treating coworkers, superiors, assistants, and customers with respect

• Working toward compromise in situations of disagreement or dispute

• Working within project protocols

• Showing loyalty to an organization

• Being punctual and working efficiently

• Producing high quality results

Proactively assessing skills and addressing any skills deficits make you better qualified and showcase your initiative. Keep your professional development going by asking your manager and others whom you admire what skills they think you should build to be even more successful.