Is talent an essential prerequisite of success? Can talent be taught?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Traditionally, organizations have held onto the belief that talent can be trained into employees or that employee talent isn\u2019t a necessary component of success. According to Marcus Buckingham, the author of, First, Break All the Rules<\/em>, both of these beliefs are inaccurate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here is why you should vet your employees for talent instead of trying to create it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Every job lends itself to a unique set of talents and, therefore, requires a person with those talents to fill the role. For example, great lawyers have a talent for debating. Great accountants have a talent for organizing. Great caregivers have a talent for empathy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Talents create a filter through which you see the world. <\/strong>They guide the thought processes that create habits and proficiencies. For instance, if you\u2019re a talented socializer, your brain likely keeps you open and comfortable by filtering out many of the insecurities that are often associated with new relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With regards to employee talent, there are two popular misconceptions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are three basic categories of talents: striving, thinking, and relating.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As discussed, talents can\u2019t be taught. If you can\u2019t train your employees to have talents they don\u2019t possess, how much of a person can you actually change?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Talents are developed at a young age through neural pathways, <\/strong>which develop based upon your experiences. For instance, if you handled confrontation constantly as a child, you likely built a strong neural pathway that allows your brain to quickly process aggressive situations. That pathway may translate into a talent for debating or handling difficult conversations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you reach your teenage years, you no longer possess the ability to develop new connections. <\/strong>While you can improve upon the connections that already exist to a certain extent, you won\u2019t be able to develop significant talents or abilities if they don\u2019t already exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While talent is fixed at a young age, skills and knowledge come through experience and education. <\/strong>They can be taught at any age and provide employees with the tools and information they need to use their talents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Skills are the abilities an employee uses to do their job. <\/strong>For example, most office employees need to know how to perform basic tasks on a computer. If they don\u2019t have a talent for learning new information or using technology, they may never excel at these skills, but they can be taught to use them at a level of proficiency that allows them to do their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Knowledge is information that informs how you do your job. <\/strong>There are two types of knowledge: factual knowledge and experiential knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can teach skills and knowledge after you bring someone on-board. <\/strong>With this in mind, you should always focus on a candidate\u2019s talents over their skill-sets or education. For example, if you\u2019re hiring an accountant for your organization, you can teach them to use Excel and build reports. However, you can\u2019t teach them the striving talent of accuracy or the thinking talent of organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Myths surrounding talent suggest that talent is a difficult thing to find and something that isn\u2019t necessary for all positions. These myths prevent people from seeking talent in their hiring process and lead to the employment of people who don\u2019t fit in certain roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCan Talent Be Taught?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How Much Can a Person Change?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Brain<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Skills vs. Knowledge vs. Talent<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Myths Surrounding Talent<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Myth #1: \u201cTalent Is Rare\u201d <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n