Talent & Skill: understanding the difference

One of the most common "mistakes" that we make as managers, leaders, parents or mentors, is to confuse talent and skill. Understanding and recognizing the difference between these two important aspects are crucial when you want to assist or encourage a person to develop, grow and achieve.


Within our culture and our common language, we mistake skill as a talent. We would make observations like "That boy is extremely talented. He scored three goals in the game this morning." Or we would look at a performance within sport, art, of life overall and be amazed at the "talent" we observe, when it is actually skill... built mostly on talent.

My own, basic definition of talent is the following: talent is an inherent drive, energy or longing that fuels and energizes your body, mind or soul to achieve, excel, accomplish or master any specific skill or ability within an area of passion or interest that you identify with.

Then again, on the flip side, you get skill. That I will define as "a specific routine, practice or method that enables you to perform a task to a certain degree of excellence."

You might think that the difference does not matter much, but is matters more than we would know. The first and foremost problem is that confusing talent and skill leads to projection and judgementalism. Skill on its own is not such a good indicator of potential. Talent, on the other hand, is. When we look behind skill and identify talent, our judgement immediately reverts into celebration of potential.
Another important aspect is that distinguishing between talent and skill really helps to enhance fulfillment and avoid weakness fixing. Someone could be brilliant and perform exceptional within a given skill - mostly due to determination and hard work. But it might drain them emotionally, and they might even hate every moment of the activity. That then is a sign that they are not building on talent or strength, but on a weakness. When it weakens you, its a weakness.

When you manage, lead or mentor today, be alert to the difference between the skill you observe and the talent behind it (or the absence of talent behind it!). As a leader or mentor, always challenge and push people towards their natural talents, and give them the opportunity to add skill to that.

They will excel, and love you for it.