Introduction: Talent Is Never Enough

August 5, 2007

I want to know your thoughts on this stuff. At the end of each post, I’ve asked a couple of questions. Take a second to respond by leaving a comment, and maybe we’ll all learn something.

OK. I’ll admit it. I could pave my driveway with the self-help books I started and never finished past the first chapter. It’s almost as if I bought them with the hope that pure ownership alone would somehow magically transform me into the person the back cover promised I could be.

It’s like buying a watch that is water proof up to 100 meters, can double as a heart monitor, and will tell time in 30 different cities. Let’s get real. I’m no scuba diver. The only time I can foresee 100 meters of water being over my head is if I’m drowning in the ocean, in which case I am almost certain the last thing on my mind will be what time it is in New Delhi. (At least I’ll know for sure when my heart stops.) But buying this watch seems to somehow imply that I can wrestle with sharks, travel the world, and exercise until my heart explodes. So I buy it, or should I say I buy into it. That’s why instead of buying this book, I just checked it out from the library. No pressure, right? You don’t really have to commit to a book if you just check it out.

And so I sit with Talent Is Never Enough, my checked-out (now overdue) library book. I’m immediately disappointed to find out that the title it not a joke. Apparently talent is truly never enough. Bummer. And here I thought that whole turning-my-eyelids-inside-out thing was really gonna take me places. According to Maxwell, talent (while still a very good thing) is rarely equated with success. He quotes some French guy (Edouard Pailleron for those who care) as saying, “Have success and there will always be fools to say that you have talent.”

Let me stop here and interject something. I believe that EVERYONE has talent. Some are gifted in different areas, some more, some less. But as my notes will point out at the end of this post, this book applies to us ALL. I’ll prove it. Remember eeking by some of those college courses and wondering if you’d ever really amount to anything? Check this out:

• More than 50% of all CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies had a C or C- average in college.
• 50% of millionaire entrepreneurs never even finished college.
• 65% of all US Senators came from the bottom half of their class.
• 75% of all US Presidents are in the same boat.

First let me say, this explains a lot about our government. But it also tells me that getting A’s (the key indicator of talent and success for so many of us growing up) doesn’t always equate to making money (or promises you can’t keep in the case of the last two statistics.)

Talent sets you apart. True. It gets you noticed, and even gives you a head start on others. But it can’t help you maintain that edge. Clearly, the business and political leaders of our day needed (and possessed) something more than talent.

At this point, I’m flipping to the last chapter. Tell me already!!!! What else do I need besides talent. I’ve got other blogs to read, man!

Then I found it. Three simple things – all from the introduction. (Maybe I won’t have to read the next chapter after all).

1. Understand that EVERYONE has talent.
Told you this would come up again. And it’s true, scientifically proven no less. You have something, some part about you, that you do better than the next 10,000 people. Believe it or not. (But don’t go gettin’ the big head).

2. Develop the talent you have, not the talent you want.
It’s true. We all do it. The second we attack the self-improvement aisle, we search for books to deal with our . . . weaknesses. Why? Did you know (and I’ve read this in other introductions) that a person can only ever truly increase their ability in any one area by 2 points on a scale of 1-10? Seriously.

Say you’re a 4 in any area. No matter how many books, how many seminars, how much effort you personally put into that area, your natural abilities will typically limit you to a gain no greater than that of a 6. That’s motivating, isn’t it?

But if you’re a 7 naturally, you could sharpen your skill to the level of a 9. That means that you’re better at this one thing that 90% of the rest of the known world! That should at least get you a spot on Letterman.

3. Anyone can make choices that will add value to their talent.
OK. So you got skills. Not sure what they are, but you’ll buy the fact that God don’t make no junk. Now what? In 2004, Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel asked Maxwell to speak to his team. In preparation, Maxwell was sent some background material on Ohio State football, among which was a document entitled, “Things That Do Not Require Talent.”

Inside, the author found the following items listed:

• Punctuality
• Effort
• Patience
• Unselfishness

Bottom line:

Talent is God-given. The choices we make each day are up to us. But if we combine God-given talent with good decision making on a daily basis, we can become what Maxwell calls a “talent-plus” person.

So what do you think? Anyone ever said you have talent? Do you agree with them? Ever had trouble deciding how to use that talent? Let me know.

Posted in Books, Life in General