Its not all about Talent

Talent is extremely important when pursuing your goals or dreams. Nobody will dispute the fact that your talent awareness and talent development are key to both performance and to fulfilment.

But talent is not everything, or the only thing.

There is much more at play when you pursue your dreams. Being talented (in terms of having the natural pattern of behaviour, thought and feeling) will never guarantee success - as important element as it is. hard work is also a critical factor.... we wrote about the factor of 10'000 hours of hard work previously on Scribbles. (Read about it here).

Then there are the factors of adding skill, knowledge and experience to talent also. Yes, there are many factors apart from talent that helps you achieve success. One factor that is not always addressed, is the one of you physical abilities. A huge amount of your physical abilities are simply inherited. It's in your DNA. The way you are built, how good you can hear or see, if you have a voice for singing, if you are a natural athlete.... all this is part of natural physical abilities.

Some of these physical abilities can be developed and strengthened. You can get fitter, faster and stronger. But then, sometimes certain physical abilities might simply be outside of your reach - because you do not have the genes for it.

I know someone who dreamed about becoming a professional pilot all his life. He had the drive, passion and yearning for it. He worked hard on his theoretical studies, and really performed good - it seemed like he was going to be a 'natural'....until he had to pass the physical examination. Tests revealed that he had a specific eye disorder that made him colour blind at night. There was no cure for this. He failed the test. His dreams were in shatters.....simply because he did not have the physical abilities needed.

The tables are turned with other people sometimes. You can get someone who is just naturally fit and athletic - but has no desire to achieve through sports, for instance.

When your talent, hard work and physical abilities align with a specific passion, you will see sparks fly! This combination is what is needed for excellence and high performance.

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Talent Dynamics: A Never-Ending Learning Curve

In the last couple of weeks I have had the privilege to Talent-Coach numerous leaders of different types of organizations. Working with leaders excite me. My "Core Theme", Maximizer, really gets energized by the self awareness and experience that most leaders have. But most of all, I think its my "Leaner-Input-Intellection" combination that thrives on everything I learn when I spend quality time talking to leaders.

Most of all, I am intrigued by how experienced leaders tap into their talents with relative ease... Not only in their Top 5 Themes. Leaders tap into their Top 10 Themes like most people do their Top 5. And even "deeper". This is also why I find it almost impossible to coach leaders on simply their Top 5 StrengthsFinder Reports. I need their Full 34 to really understand them, and add value to the conversation. You will never really impress a leader by simply confirming what they already knows are "floating on their surface". Leaders are deep-sea divers. They do not snorkel around the surface and admire the beauty. They like the pressure and excitement of going deeper.

One of the leaders that I coached a couple of weeks ago, had an interesting make up in his Top 10 Themes - mostly all very strong Influencing and Executing Themes. I could clearly pick it up in our conversation also. But then he mentioned to me that he finds it very strange that his Relational Themes aren't in his Top 10 at least, as he perceives himself as being very relational. As I did not know him at all, I could not confirm nor deny this. But I did notice that nearly all his themes from number 11 - 15 was relational in nature.

Later we had a Team session, and in the discussion the other members of the team also commented on the lack of relational themes in the Top 10 that did not make sense. I then suggested that, in his case, we add the next 5 themes and work with his Top 15 like we do with everybodys's Top 10. The moment I added the next 5 to the mix, everybody, including his face lit up. Affirmation and celebration entered the room.

Thing is: nobody denied the intensity of his Top 10 themes. No one wanted to take it away. But it was not complete until the next 5 - Relational Themes in this case - was added. Only then was his profile "complete".

I realised that day that some people really "dive deep" when they tap into their strengths. I do not find a mix of 15 often at all. Nearly never. But, like in this case, it is possible.

Talent dynamics cannot be contained and minimized. We are everyone much too unique.

And how cool is that.

[by Dries Lombaard, CEO Africanmosaic]

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Capacities Every Great Leader needs

Expert Blogger Tony Schwartz writes: “When I was a very young journalist, full of bravado and barely concealed insecurity, Ed Kosner, editor of Newsweek, hired me to do a job I wasn't sure I was capable of doing. Thrown into deep water, I had no choice but to swim. But I also knew he wouldn't let me drown. Over the last dozen years, I've worked with scores of CEOs and senior executives to help them build more engaged, high performance cultures by energizing their employees. Along the way, I've landed on key capacities that show up in the most inspiring leaders I've met.

1. Great leaders recognize strengths in us that we don't always yet fully see in ourselves.
Kosner provided belief where I didn't yet have it, and I trusted his judgment more than my own. It's the Pygmalion effect: expectations become self-fulfilling.
Both positive and negative emotions feed on themselves. In the absence of Kosner's confidence, I simply wouldn't have assumed I was ready to write at that level.
Because he seemed so sure I could--he saw better than I did how my ambition and relentlessness would eventually help me prevail--I wasted little energy in corrosive worry and doubt.
Instead, I simply invested myself in getting better, day by day, step by step.”

Africanmosaic: “We get better and gain more confidence if we practice those things in which we are talented. This pushes us to give more and achieve better success. Our fellow strengths travellers will see that in us and encourage us to grow in our talents.”

2. Great leaders take the time to clearly define what success looks like, and then empower and trust us to figure out the best way to achieve it.
One of our core needs is for self-expression. One of the most demoralizing and infantilizing experiences at work is to feel micromanaged.
The job of leaders is not to do the work of those they lead, but to serve as Chief Energy Officer -- to free and fuel us to bring the best of ourselves to work every day.
Part of that responsibility is defining, in the clearest possible way, what's expected of us--our concrete deliverables. When they do it effectively, the next step for leaders is to get out of the way.
That requires trusting that employees will figure out for themselves the best way to get their work done, and that even though they'll take wrong turns and make mistakes, they learn and grow stronger along the way.

Africanmosaic: “It is key that employees know what their talents are. When they are aware of what they are capable of, based on their natural occurring thoughts, feelings and behavior, they can sort out very quickly what the best way is to get the work done. If they know where their colleagues are strong, they can partner with them where they might lack. In this way you will have a well-rounded team that will deliver on time, with success.”

Taken from: http://www.fastcompany.com/1695382/the-four-capacities-every-great-leader-needs-and-very-few-have?partner=rss

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Stop Being so Nice...

If you have the theme of Harmony in your top 5 StrengthsFinder talent mix, you can identify with the fact that conflict is very difficult for you and that avoidance is usually the way you handle conflict.

But, steering clear of disagreements and leaving things unsaid creates unnecessary complexity and needless anxiety. To get better at confronting conflict constructively, follow these three steps:

1. Reflect. Ask yourself whether there are times you should've spoken up but held your tongue. Do you avoid certain types of conflicts? Is there a pattern?

2. Get feedback. Ask trusted friends and colleagues how they perceive your readiness to engage in constructive conflict. They might see patterns that are less obvious to you. Do you need to see the situation from the other person’s perspective?

3. Experiment. You don't have to change overnight. Try pushing back on a request or speaking up in a meeting and see how it goes. Preface your comment with an admission that you are working on getting better at conflict. This will help demonstrate your sincerity. If you have to confront one-on-one, is there someone else in your team that can assist you with the wording and confrontational style? The talent themes of Command and Empathy can assist you. Can you identify what the common ground is in this situation?

Taken and adapted from
http://web.hbr.org/email/archive/managementtip.php?date=101910

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Command: Leading with Presence

Are you experienced as bossy, opinionated, a "lover of conflict"? Then you might have the talent theme of Command as one of your signature themes.

Here's how Catherine explains her Command theme: "Command is in my top ten. It is a strong naturally occurring pattern for me, although I don't think I have built it into a strength. Even in school this talent theme showed up as I was always the one who took the leadership role in group activities. At work, now, I am the one who is labeled opinionated, the one who speaks up. I enjoy debates and never shy away from confrontation, unless directed not to. And when I am directed not to (my boss has harmony and consistency/fairness in his top five so this happens a lot) I feel thwarted. It feels wrong for me to just let things go. So, if I have to let them go, I really let them go. I detach nearly completely. I think people with a strong sense of Command like to be in charge and if/when we are not able to take the reigns, we yield totally until we find a place where we can take charge. It is an interesting contradiction. I used to always just say, "I am the oldest of seven--I'm bossy!" but now I know that this natural urge within me is my Command talent. It helps to view it as a talent and potential strength.”

Mattias says: “Command has helped me in many ways in my life and I would not want to miss it. Most importantly, it has given me the courage to reach out for help and advise (including people higher up in the hierarchy, or strangers in other companies) and to ask for what I need. In my career, I have often openly pursued my career objectives, I believe this has helped me a lot. I used to think that this is normal until my Strengths "epiphany", and ever since I realize how many people can not bring themselves to spell out what they want or to ask other people for help.”

Jasmine says: “In living in connection with my Command strength, I have gained confidence, empowerment, and focus to be honest and direct while moving forward in my life and accomplishments.”

We might experience Command very negative, but if we start to see how this talent can help us in our team, we can learn to appreciate the people that have to live with it.

Source: www.linkedin.com The StrengthsFinder Group

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Belief - Values that Endures

If you possess a strong Belief theme, you have certain core values that are enduring. These values vary from one person to another, but ordinarily your Belief theme causes you to be family–oriented, altruistic, even spiritual, and to value responsibility and high ethics — both in yourself and others.

These core values affect your behavior in many ways. They give your life meaning and satisfaction; in your view, success is more than money and prestige. They provide you with direction, guiding you through the temptations and distractions of life toward a consistent set of priorities.

This talent of Belief also causes you to see things as "black & white", either right or wrong. No gray areas. People with Belief don't see everything this way, but what they do see in black and white is clear, based on something easily articulated and unshakable.

It's helpful, when working with people embodying this strength, to understand the depth of this conviction. They tend to admire and appreciate people who also have strong convictions - even if they are the same convictions. People, who have the talent of Belief, tend to stand up for those things that they feel strongly about. This may cause friction in the office if they don’t agree with a value. People with Belief can be a valuable part of a team in this way. They're clear, consistent and act with passion about those things they do believe. Just as surely, they'll "check out" when that belief is not respected or supported. They can't work for something they don't believe in.

If you work with someone who has the talent of Belief, make sure that you understand that person’s values. More often than not we don’t know what our values are. Someone with the talent of Belief will feel strongly about things, but might not be aware of those things. They will become aware of it when the value is challenged. This then causes them to act, which sometimes can be seen as causing conflict. Find out what those values are. What do you consider to be important to you in your life?

What gives your life meaning? By identifying your values, you are able to pursue what matters, for you and the person with Belief. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Understanding each other’s values will result in clear expectations in your work environment.

Get clear on Values: "Displayed", or "Driven"?

by Dries Lombaard

In his book "Leading Outside the Lines", Jon Katzenbach tells the story about two organizations with strong values.

The first has the values of Communication, Respect, Integrity and Excellence. These values were posted on the company Website, included in the employee manual, displayed on the wall in the foyer, and proudly repeated at company events.

The second organization has the values of Honour, Courage and Commitment. Every member of this organization openly talks about these three values, and uses it to make, mostly, life and death decisions. The organizations?

The first is the shamed Enron, famous for its corrupt scandal a decade ago. The company is closed down and their CEO in jail.
The second? The U.S. Marine Corps. It has endured now for more than 200 years.

A critical difference between these two organizations is in the way they make their values come to life... or not.
Enron was a values-displayed organization.
The USMC is a values-driven organization.

The difference? No window dressing. Living the values in everyday decisions, discussions, situations and actions.

Values are both formal and informal. Formally, the can be written down and displayed, and this is a good thing. But the formal side of values means absolutely nothing if it does not connect informally in the offices, hallways, boardrooms and interactions between staff and with clients.

A way to test values, is to informally ask staff and customers about it.
 See if, firstly, they know what it is.
And secondly, if they walk the talk.

How to achieve value-drivenness? Only one sure way: an example set by management or leadership.
Informally.
Daily.

Remember: "There is no use in walking somewhere to preach, if your walking is not your preaching."


Dries Lombaard is the co-owner of Strengths Institute South Africa, and has more than 7000 hours of Strengths Coaching experience over the last decade.  He is leading a vibrant and growing network of Strengths Coaches in Southern Africa, and works with corporate and multinational leadership and management teams and C-level leaders as a Strengths Coach and training facilitator. 

Talent cannot replace hard work... or vica verca

In his brilliant book "Outliers", Malcolm Gladwell tells numerous stories about successful people in life. His make one very important discovery in his research: that it seems that almost every success story has a lot of very hard work, and long hours, behind it. To be specific, Gladwell found that at least 10'000 hours are spent working at something specific, in order to become a success. 10'00 hours. That is 8 straight hours a day, five days a week, for 5 years... a lot of practice in any book.

Gladwell found that the exceptions are so few and far between that it really is exceptions to this rule of 10'000 hours.
But, contrary to how some people interpret this, Gladwell never once claims that this 10'000 hours replace the value and importance of natural talent. On the contrary! Someone with no talent within a specific area, will simply run out of energy and 'fuel' long before the 10'000 hours is reached. Or, they might spent 20'000 hours for that matter, and never be recognized at all.

Talent cannot replace hard work, in the same way that you cannot fill up a car with fuel, and then expect it to go anywhere without starting it, and driving it. The key to fulfillment and success lies in the balance between the two. Working hard at developing your talent. Turning it into a strength. Perfecting it....if 'perfect' exists at all.

Aligning the effort and hours you invest in any activity with your continuous pattern of thought, behaviour and action (talent), is exactly what is proven by most people over history as the recipe for how they built not only success, but real fulfillment.

As you invest in this precious day, be sure to try and push towards your natural abilities. Be sure to do what comes naturally to you, most of the time. Be sure to work hard at it. Invest. This way, the most important thing of all will happen: you will find that today will have meaning and fulfillment beyond expectation. And that is already the achievement of success.

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Give Me Training or Give Me Death!

I say: take no thought of the harvest, but only of proper sowing. –(Famous Dead Poet), T.S. Eliot, Choruses from The Rock

You want to be better! It’s not a question. If you’re reading this article, you have a desire to perform on a higher level—at work and in life. You’re the fraction of the workforce and society that is ready to perform, learn, and live a better tomorrow than what you’ve achieved today.
But how do we get better? How do we really make worthwhile contributions to our family and friends, our organizations, and our clients, day in and day out?

WE TRAIN!

And I’m not talking about that old dinosaur called Two-Day Seminars or Workshops. The days of one- or two-day classrooms as “training solutions” are ineffective and dying. That’s teaching; that’s not training. I’m talking about a consistent effort to purposely get better at your job through a series of activities, experiences, and acquisitions of knowledge, skills, and competencies that are integrated into your workflow as the actual learning process—not a 15-minute follow up to some mountaintop experience you had last week. Training is a long distance race! It’s not a few toe touches and jumping jacks.

While the classroom itself still holds some meaning, the idea that you only get better in a classroom simply is not true anymore. There era of Dead Poets Society has moved beyond standing up on your desk and shouting about seizing the day, it’s a continual effort outside the classroom, in the real world, actually seizing moments. You can learn theories and skills in a classroom, but you can’t be trained to use them. You can’t create a habit in a Two-Day Workshop. With technological advancements, the idea that Soft or Off-the-Job training takes place outside of your normal workflow (in a classroom, away from your desk, pontificating some abstract leadership philosophy on a mountaintop) is Dark Age thinking. Seminars may be events, but they’re only events. Seminars and workshops don’t make us better; they only make us think about getting better.

Your colleague who is going to run in a marathon this fall doesn’t go to a one-day motivational seminar, or runners’ workshop, and think that he’s prepared to run 26.2 miles tomorrow—he trains for the event by exercising daily on a strict schedule, eating the right foods, getting the proper rest, and shedding a few drops of blood, sweat, and tears as prepare for race day.
If you’re not training, you’re dying from a slow and painful mediocre contribution. It’s not meaningless work, but it could become so much more if we take the leadership, the people, and the technical skills seriously enough to put them into action and apply them directly to our everyday real work and real lives. The next generation of leaders and learners want training, real sustained training, and through that training they want to make great contributions to the world and the workplace.

Jason Diamond Arnold
Co-Author of Situational Self Leadership in Action

(Article appeared on www.whyleadnow.com)

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Embracing Uniqueness

We all want to be seen and appreciated as being unique. Some of us do our utmost to express this uniqueness openly and positively. Other might be more reserved, but cherish their uniqueness within their privacy.

No matter what your personality might be, being unique is absolutely human. In fact, in is natural - as nature intended - because nature never clone anything. Be in a leaf on a tree, a stone in the field, a seashell on the beach, a snowflake or any animal or bird, in some specific way everything that is part of nature is also unique - even if it might look exactly the same on first observation.

Humans have two significant traits of uniqueness: outer and inner. Our outer uniqueness lies in the fact that no two people look alike - even identical twins has their own fingerprints. Inner uniqueness is even more fascinating! Your personality, character, talents, emotions and spirit is absolutely and completely unique. Nobody could be you, even if they try.

Whenever you turn up at any meeting you bring something to the mix that nobody can clone or even fake sustainably. That is simply: being you. Adding your own mix of energy, character, experience, skill, qualification, passion, point of view, values, likes and dislikes, dreams, abilities, physical presence.... this all adds up to something no salary can buy if the fit is right.

Be more confident in your own skin. Never try to fake or be what you are not. But always do try to better who you uniquely are meant to be. Keep growing. Keep challenging yourself. Keep on embracing your own uniqueness. And in doing so, you will earn the respect of others, and also realize how natural it becomes to respect those around you for who they are.

Embrace yourself today. Then grow by becomming more of you.

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Misunderstanding Talents - "Empathy"

The Talent Theme of "Empathy" is directly linked to the two words: "feeling emotions". People with this talent theme explain that they can sense and feel the emotions of other people. Sometimes this feeling of emotions is literally physical to them. It hurts them to feel the pain of others.

But "Empathy" is often misunderstood as being too soft or too emotional. This is not necessarily the case at all. Remember that talent themes is all about the management of it. So, yes - a mismanaged talent theme of "empathy" could lead to someone being very emotional. But again, one must not tag someone with empathy in this way.

People with Empathy are extremely good within both one on one individual and within group or team situations. They often seem to be a lot more emotionally intelligent than the rest. It is exactly because they can sense emotions so well.

If you know someone with this theme, celebrate it! It is an awesome ability.

This concludes out series on "Misunderstanding Talents."

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