Talent blog: Talent is much more than your job
TALENT IS MUCH MORE THAN YOUR JOB
Talent is not limited to your job: it shows itself in all sorts of situations. Talent is not about what you do, it's about how you do it.
A footballer’s talent is not limited to playing football. If it were, his talent would stop at the age of 30 along with his football career. His talent is in the way he plays football. Is he a playmaker? Does he take the initiative? Is he a team player, or a captain? And that talent can be seen not only on the field, but also in other situations.
New insight
In our project with the women entrepreneurs from the Balkan states, one of the participants found it very difficult to identify her talent. She had run a successful ICT company for 28 years, and could not separate herself from that: she thought her talent was 'manager'.
But all the stories she told were of a talent that was much bigger than that. From her anecdotes, it was clear that she always saw ‘the big picture’. After a lot of patient effort from our side, she acknowledged this as her talent.
Getting the hang of it
Knowing this, all sorts of surprising things happened. Around Christmas she organised an event for children with Down's Syndrome. Full of empathy, she discovered how important it was for the parents to meet each other and to be able to share their stories.
During her visit to the Netherlands she was moved by the example of the Yes-Hub in Delft; a vibrant melting pot for technical graduates' start-up businesses. 'I'm going to set this up in Macedonia! Our young people need this!'
Talent never retires
This entrepreneur is beginning to understand: even if her company stopped functioning, her talent would still blossom.
And that is true for you, too. The growth of your talent is not limited to your job, and it does not stop when you retire. For some people, that is when a ‘talentful’ life begins, although you can start it sooner. So where are you at right now?
My questions to you
- Take a step back and look at yourself objectively
- In which characteristics do you excel?
- In what areas outside your work does your talent flourish?
Good luck!
Yvette van Dok