Normally we associate talent only with celebrated excellence --
with a strong emphasis on the word "celebrated." We look at Michael
Jordan, swaying and knifing his way to the basket, and we know that
neither his training nor his dogged determination are the prime
source of his brilliance. He may have both of these, but, then, so
do most other NBA players. Alone, these cannot explain why Michael
shines. Deep down we know that his secret weapon is his talent. We
look at Robert De Niro and we think the same: he has talent. Tiger
Woods, Jay Leno, Maya Angelou, they are all part of the talent
club. They are blessed with a secret gift. For most of us, talent
seems a rare and precious thing, bestowed on special, far-away
people. They are different, these people with talent. They are "not
us."
Great managers disagree with this definition of talent. It is
too narrow, too specialized. Instead, they define a talent as "a
recurring pattern of thought, feeling or behavior that can be
productively applied." The emphasis here is on the word
"recurring." Your talents, they say, are the behaviors you find
yourself doing often. You have a mental filter that sifts through
your world, forcing you to pay attention to some stimuli, while
others slip past you, unnoticed. Your instinctive ability to
remember names, rather than just faces, is a talent. Your need to
alphabetize your spice rack and color code your wardrobe is a
talent. So is your love of crossword puzzles, or your fascination
with risk, or your impatience. Any recurring patterns of behavior
that can be productively applied are talents. The key to excellent
performance, of course, is finding the match between your talents
and your role.
This definition of talent is deceptively neutral, almost bland.
Nevertheless, it guides great managers toward a momentous
discovery: Every role, performed at excellence, requires talent,
because every role, performed at excellence, requires certain
recurring patterns of thought, feeling or behavior. This means that
great nurses have talent. So do great truck drivers and great
teachers, great housekeepers and great flight attendants. . . .
Regardless of the role and regardless of whether the excellence
is "celebrated" or anonymous, great managers know that excellence
is impossible without talent.
Next week: Managing by remote control.