The "talent is overrated" notion has been touted in best-selling books over the past few years. And, like any trend, its wave is cresting... and perhaps soon to be crashing?
I shan't make any predictions, however, because I'm the last person on Earth to forecast trends. I never seem to understand how trends come and go, much less what the masses will go for next. Whenever I look at an issue of Vogue I'm always convinced that the designers have huge disasters on their hands.
Take Exhibit A:
I personally find the above "shoes" quite unattractive, not to mention borderline masochistic, but what do I know? I'm apparently not privy to the appeal of an Alexander McQueen piece d'art ... or the
Kardashians, if you'll recall.
But I do know quite a bit about talent, and overlooking this bit of info is the exact opposite of what I'm always harping on. In my mind, it's quite obvious that talent is largely
underrated in our society. Trendy or not, talent first needs to be personally acknowledged and
then honed and worked on for the 10,000 hours that true world class performers achieve. So many people waste their time honing skills that will never amount to much because the natural talent isn't there. If you're going to put in your 10K, shouldn't you do something you've got a real shot at achieving?
The plethora of high school and college graduates floundering, living at home until they "find themselves," is one big juicy clue. Couple this with the fact that many of them were once extremely hardworking, ambitious students creates even more suspicion that they've been led in the "hard work comes first" direction. In other words, these kids worked their butts off to get the best grades, the best SAT scores, and into the best colleges. But with no inner-led direction and sense of natural abilities, then what?
Further down the road of young peoples' lives comes even more substantial evidence. Just look at the large population of adults, 25+,
who are unhappily employed, confused and overwhelmed. Many are the other former academic aces who grabbed the first big jobs offered to them. However, they discover after a few years that the great career that made their parents proud and friends envious, is nothing close to what they really wanted (whatever that may possibly be.)
Apparently, we need to be able to name our talents, our preferences and our abilities from a younger age than 40+. (This is the typical age when people seek career help after years of frustration.) From high school onward, why not name these strengths and use them to guide students to success and satisfaction? Then the hard work, obviously essential to success, can be purposeful, efficient and effective.
Now, granted, these aforementioned 'talent-is-overrated' books make some really good points. However, in our fast paced age of sound bytes and information overload, everyone judges books solely by their covers, which means whatever points these authors make in all those pesky pages go largely unread and ignored. These catchy titles get reiterated and expanded on, which means articles pop up everywhere, touting the veracity of these very general notions.
In response, I've decided to give my unsolicited, pretty darn unhip explanation for why titles such as
Talent is Overrated and
The Talent Code, to name just a few, are so appealing. Here are the top three mentalities that make these book titles popular:
Mentality Number One
"I can do anything I want to if I just work hard enough. Talent is not just for a selected few."
Mentality Number Two
"My dream alone will sustain me to the end."
or, my personal favorite,
"If you can dream it you can do it!"
Where's my hanky? Sounds like a bumper sticker in the making... or a best selling book title.
Mentality Number Three
"There are so many lazy people out there who fail because they try to get by on their talent alone. Obviously hard work is more important."
Okay. At least the first sentence is true: there are a slew of lazy people that try to get by on their innate gifts, especially when those gifts have been well revered since their youth.
But remember, there are some people who actually have no
relevant talent or
general work ethic and yet still succeed. I will not name names.
*********************
Unfortunately, this conventional wisdom circa 2011(soon-to-be-2012) is really the last thing we need to be focused on. The idea that hard work makes talent nearly meaningless is oversimplification at its best.
To their detriment, very few people know the specific language of aptitudes and strengths, and are therefore unable to identify specific talent in themselves (what works, what doesn't and how to sell themselves in an interview.) Nor can they recognize necessary talent in others (as in, hire the person who has the relevant abilities, rather than just a requisite pedigree.)
And while it will mean less turmoil and pointless work in the long run, discovering what makes you tick is more daunting to people because it requires stopping and thinking rather than just plowing ahead and making no headway. Ever heard the phrase, "don't know where I'm going, but I'm sure making good time!"? That pretty much sums up this method.
Unfortunately for mass marketing purposes, self- knowledge is much more complex than a simplistic, catchy title. But who knows, maybe economic times will force the issue. And a
recent article in The New York Times gives me hope that someone is trying to dispel the myth that all work and no talent makes Jack a successful boy.
Until then, I've got a Grow-endorsed book title for America. It's called,
Success: The Intersection of Talent, Hard Work, and Following Your Fascinations.
What's that you say? It won't sell?
Okay.
Hmmm... How about this pithy little number?
Ability Schmability: Make Big Bucks Doing Whatever You Want
Excuse me now while I call my literary agent. She'll be all over this one.
