Talent is the ability to naturally do something that would have perhaps seemed difficult.
Over the weekend, I stumbled on an advert sign with the inscription “Talent want not Talent hunt”, and I was quick to disregard the sign. But upon further investigation, I realized that we all desire a talent and we hope to develop a talent culture. Talent means investing in the next generation and Culture, as we know, is the custom of a particular set of people.
Organizations just like individuals are also interested in building a Talent culture. How do I know this? An Organization consists of people, and people at all levels of life want a common goal; to live their values and achieve their goals, to be listened to and respected and also to contribute in meaningful and innovative ways as they clearly see the interaction between their work and the organization’s vision. So how can one achieve a talent culture?
Here are the principles needed for achieving a talent culture:
1. Ambition: If you hope to build a game-changing talent culture for yourself, you need an ambitious attitude. Well, you may or may not have the talent, but if you can’t equate your talent with your hard work, you can as well sleep on your talent. Check out our A-list musicians, most of the names we know are always working, which is why some of them own a studio in their houses. If you are sure you know your onions, a little dose of ambition gives you the drive to make extra sacrifices you need to get to where you dream to be.
2. Ability: A keyword in defining talent. Ability is simply an individual’s competence or knowledge in a particular area. Building your talent should relate to a growth in your ability in your area of expertise. You can’t say you have a talent in music and you cannot identify keys for instance.
3. Agility: One of the key skills for future leaders is the ability to learn and grow. Talent culture would be developed if you improve on your ability to think and understand quickly. Learning agility includes mental agility, people agility, change agility and results agility. So, along with your talent, be willing to grow, be quick and be graceful even while developing your talent.
4. Achievement: Looking back is sometimes looking forward. Take a look at your past achievements; a careful assessment of that would determine if you truly want to develop that talent or move on.
