Leading Blog






04.02.07

Talent is Never Enough

“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.”
—Stephen King
Talent is Never Enough
In John Maxwell’s valuable new book, Talent is Never Enough, he cites Peter Drucker on effectiveness, "There seems to be little correlation between a man's effectiveness and his intelligence, his imagination, or his knowledge...Intelligence, imagination, and knowledge are essential resources, but only effectiveness converts them into results. By themselves, they only set limits to what can be contained." "If talent were enough," Maxwell writes, "then the most effective and influential people would always be the most talented ones. But that is often not the case."

Talent might get you noticed but it won’t keep you there. Success requires hard work. To achieve the effectiveness that Drucker is talking about and to turn talent into results is matter of choice. Maxwell writes, “The key choices you make—apart from the natural talent you already have—will set you apart from others who have talent alone.” He has identified 13 choices you can make to maximize your talent. These choices form the framework of his book:

Belief lifts your talent: Lack of belief in yourself can act as a ceiling on talent.

Passion energizes your talent: A passionate person with limited talent will outperform a passive person who possesses greater talent.

Initiative activates your talent: Socrates said, “To move the world we must first move ourselves.”

Focus directs your talent: Attempting everything, like attempting nothing will suck the life out of you.

Preparation positions your talent: Becoming more intentional. You can claim to be surprised once; after that, you’re unprepared.

Practice sharpens your talent: Practice demands discipline and embracing change.

Perseverance sustains your talent: People who display perseverance keep a larger vision in mind as they toil away at their craft or profession.

Courage tests your talent: As we develop our talent and grow to our potential we will be tested continually. Courage is an everyday virtue.

Teachability expands your talent: Teachability is not so much about competence and mental capacity as it is about attitude. It is the desire to listen, learn, and apply. Talented people can be the toughest to teach because they often think they know it all. It’s a problem of pride.

Character protects your talent: People cannot climb beyond the limitations of their character. Talented people are sometimes tempted to take shortcuts. Character prevents that.

Relationships influence your talent: Life is too short to spend it with people who pull you in the wrong direction. And it’s too short not to invest in others. Your relationships will define you.

Responsibility strengthens your talent: Responsibility not only improves your life, but also will improve the life of those around you.

Teamwork multiplies your talent: Teamwork divides the effort and multiples the effect.

“Make these choices,” Maxwell encourages, “and you can become a talent-plus person. If you have talent, you stand alone. If you have talent plus, you stand out.”

Posted by Michael McKinney at 09:54 AM
| Comments (0) | This post is about Books , Personal Development



BUILD YOUR KNOWLEDGE


ADVERTISE WITH US



Books to Read

Best Books of 2022

Entrepreneurs

Leadership Books
How to Do Your Start-Up Right
STRAIGHT TALK FOR START-UPS



Explore More

Leadership Books
Grow Your Leadership Skills
NEW AND UPCOMING LEADERSHIP BOOKS

Leadership Minute
Leadership Minute
BITE-SIZE CONCEPTS YOU CAN CHEW ON

Leadership Classics
Classic Leadership Books
BOOKS TO READ BEFORE YOU LEAD


Email
Get the LEAD:OLOGY Newsletter delivered to your inbox.    
Follow us on: Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Instagram

© 2023 LeadershipNow™

All materials contained in https://www.LeadershipNow.com are protected by copyright and trademark laws and may not be used for any purpose whatsoever other than private, non-commercial viewing purposes. Derivative works and other unauthorized copying or use of stills, video footage, text or graphics is expressly prohibited. The Amazon links on this page are affiliate links. If you click through and purchase, we will receive a small commission on the sale. This link is provided for your convenience and importantly, help to support our work here. We appreciate your use of these links.