Overcoming the 10 Dangers of Talent
The 10 Dangers of being Talented:
- Relying on talent rather than hard work. Too much winging it.
- Assuming what’s easy for you is easy for others.
- Being a threat to bosses.
- Unwillingness to change or grow.
- Alienating others.
- Feeling entitled.
- Being pigeon holed.
- Feeling paralyzed by too many options.
- Boredom.
- Arrogance.
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Commitment answers the dangers of talent.
Major General William Cohen USAFR Ret., author of, “The Practical Drucker,” shared his first leadership experience with me. He was asked to be a patrol leader in the Boy Scouts.
Gen. Cohen said he was concerned that anyone would follow.
“Why should they follow me?”
Commitment:
“I learned that people respond to commitment.”
Gen. Cohen said his patrol decided to enter a competition. “Because I was committed (to give it my best) the others were committed too. They followed.”
Talent is an opportunity to step up and work harder than anyone else.
Commitment answers all the dangers of being talented.
Helping people step up:
Gen. Cohen said tell people:
- They’re not omnipotent.
- Decisions won’t be correct.
- They’re going to make mistakes.
- There will be lot of problems.
What’s encouraging about this? It establishes expectations. It says,
- Get in.
- Get dirty.
- Make your mistakes.
- Press on anyway.
“Success can make us cocky. You’re going to wing it and not prepare. I try to avoid that attitude.”
What did (Ret.) General Cohen learn about leadership from his career?
8 Universal laws of leadership:
- Maintain absolute integrity.
- Know your stuff.
- Declare your expectations.
- Show uncommon commitment.
- Expect positive results.
- Take care of your people.
- Put Duty – mission or people – before self.
- Get out in front. Show initiative.
From: The Stuff of Heros
William Cohen has written over fifty books and currently is president of The California Institute of Advanced Management.
How can leaders overcome the dangers of being talented?
When talented stay committed 🙂
🙂
Dear Dan,
I agree with the ideas suggested to overcome the dangers of being talented. I am eager to share my feeling about one point- being threat to bosses. This perception is very common at workplaces. Most of practices that point towards harassing talent people is nothing but boss’s fear of being exposed. And that is the point, they make all sorts of tactics and practices to keep away, criticize, backbite, back stab to talented people. They alternatively spread rumors or distorted information in order to overestimate self values and underestimate others.
One of the solution to overcome the dangers of being talented is keep low profile in front of others. Secondly, talented people should be humble enough so that others should not perceive wrongly. The most important thing is to ” appear simple and helpful” and do not appear threat to others.
Communication plays great role in diminishing perception. So, it is better to communicate all kind of people so as to avoid any difference.
Thanks Ajay,
One of the ways talented individuals can not be a threat to others is to be committed to the success of others. Thanks for a moment of clarity.
Great observation Ajay! I agree with Dan suggestions – and I’ve tried them too. They work!…in many places which has many A players and confident management.
However, if you work in a place full of B and C players (or worse, mostly C and D), they may not want the help of any A player at all. Their insecurity gets the better of them. They don’t want any A player disrupting the cozy status quo for them! Don’t stay long in such a place.
I need to take this to heart myself as well as pass it on to someone I care about who fits the negatives you describe too well. Any suggestions on how to phrase that? Maybe preface it with a short encouraging talk to set the stage prior to emailing your article?
Thanks James,
I like the short encouraging talk. That might end with, lets talk about how you might be even more successful. Or, How can we build on your strengths?
Sometimes I like to ask before I tell. Could you ask, “How might your great skills, talents, and strengths actually hinder your success?”
How about reinforcing a shared values as a foundation for a tough talk?
I’m ready to have one of these conversations, too. I plan to encourage them to self-evaluate. But, there is a point where I plan to look them in the eye and say, xxxx, has to change. How can we work together to make this an opportunity for you?
So….I’m just throwing stuff against the wall. What do you think?
Spot on Dan! Having a direct (with unconditional positive regard of course) dialogue (not monologue) about what strengths you bring to the table, sets the table, an aperitif if you will.
Then, perhaps the harder to digest part of the meal, is the inquiry on whether or not our strength might expose (or be) our weakness.
Finally, as a digestif to finish it all off with a positive reaffirmation of strengths/commitment or perhaps even an energizing pousse-cafe’. (ready for the T-day meal now? 😉 )
Great stuff Doc. Even better is how you teased the metaphor/simile through your contribution. Happy Thanksgiving
ouch, jabbing darts at my heart this morning Dan! great piece. I would just simply say that one with talent needs to put the ego in the cage and go do it. From personal experience. rock on.
Thanks butchering,
I bet most of the LFreak readers have been in the “wing it” category, for example. Frankly, sometimes time pressures might require us to rely more on talent than preparation OCCASIONALLY.
However, one of the things that kicks me in the pants is the danger of drifting by simply trusting in talent rather than hard work.
Great article! You give a pretty good defination of talent and the cure for it!
thanks Rich
Hi Dan,
I love the summary:
Get in.
Get dirty.
Make your mistakes.
Press on anyway.
I would like to add a thought about think one of the dangers of “having talent” in that it suggests that talent is inherent. However, this poses a boundary because until now it may have been easy, but one day you will reach a boundary. If you think talent is something that you “have” then it does not need to be further developed, as you say, and if you hit a hard spot where the solution of relying on your talent doesn’t work, it suggests that you have reached the end of your talent.
The challenge for a leader is therefore recognising the talents but responding to it in a way that enables those people to utilise skills that will continue to support them even past the personal boundaries they will eventually come across. So for example highlighting how they got feedback from other experts to help create a great product, rather than how talented they are at creating. The first is something you can replicate in an unknown situation, the second suggests you should stick to the same area because you have talent in it. People have a huge amount of potential but it requires stretching oneself and going for a cause greater than yourself. Perhaps truly demonstrating talent requires letting go of the beliefs you have about it in the first place, so that you can reach a new level of talent …
KaPow!! Thanks for your insights Jennifer.
One helpful thought re: being talented: Most of us overestimate our own abilities. Ask a group of 100 people to rate themselves on a scale of 1 to 10 on their driving ability by writing their answer in private on a sheet of paper. The average will be around 7, and almost none will be below 5.
Ask the same about intelligence, with answers in IQ. The answer will be near 120, with almost none less than 100.
My point in this is that we tend to overestimate our own talent, especially in private.
Raw talent can only be developed by learning. To learn, one must accept that the teacher knows more, or the experience taught something better.
To develop talent to its fullest, then, we must be truly humble, not considering ourselves to be better than others, and craving learning. Truly humble people who have developed their talent make great teachers, if they share their knowledge to develop another seeker, rather than to puff themselves up.
Much talent and intelligence is wasted due to pride. May we as leaders realize we don’t lead to show off superior ability, but rather to serve the cause and people of which we have been appointed stewards, in spite of our weaknesses.
Thanks Marc,
Today’s comments just keep on rolling. Very powerful. I hear you saying that humility says,
I could be better
I can learn
I might be wrong
Others can help
…..
Dear Dan,
Liked a valuable comment of Retd. Gen. Cohen that people respond to commitment and it answers all the dangers of being talented. His learning of 8 universal laws of leadership is remarkable and worth admiring.
A good strong leader will always manage a team of talented people by throwing more challenges and creating an environment of healthy competition amongst them to achieve by way of self-
commitment.
A great reading! Enjoyed the list of 10 dangers of being talented which is true in itself. The talented person has to remain content and demonstrate his abilities by way of result-oriented action.
Thanks Dr. Asher,
You encourage me. I’m glad you brought up the idea of managing talented people.
Jimmy Collins, retired president of Chick Fil A says he would rather manage a team of race horses than mules. Great leaders don’t hold people back…they release them.
Great stuff today Dan. Love number 4 of the Universal Laws.
I have found true committtment a challenge from time to time in my life.
For me committtment is doing the thing I said I was gonna do long after the feeling I had when I said it has left me. Easy to hunt and peck, hard to DO.
Good stuff today Dan thanks.
SP back to now!
Thanks Scott,
I hear you on commitment.
For me, commitment is stepping out first and doing more than others.
Dan, I like your articles!
Here is why.
You assume I am an adult.
You use clear and simple language.
You don’t bury a good thought on hundreds of words.
I can read it quickly.
Keep up the good work!
Jimmy Collins
Thanks Jimmy,
Your kindness encourages me and helps me see what’s working. Happy Thanksgiving.
Dan, of your 10 Dangers, I have seen the most abuse under number 2.
Talented people should be patient with slow learners, non-artistic and non-athletic people. We make up the majority of the population!
More important, the most committed and creative followers actually come from these people.
My best boss, Truett Cathy often said this to students. “I have bad news for you “A” students, the world is run by “C” students.
You talented people should listen to that wise advice.
Jimmy Collins
Thanks Jimmy,
The world is run by “C” students… KaChing!! So often people with great talent fall short.
I’ve also see people with great talent assume I should have the same talent. Then they pressure me to be like them. That’s not leadership. That’s bondage and sometimes manipulation.
Cheers
Talent Leader: As a former job coach to the unemployed, my responsibility to my clients was to help them discover (and admit to) their own workplace value. Previous job was leading and transforming a team of talented individuals who did not know their gifts / and abilites. My job was to give them an opportunity to shine by recognizing their talent and helping them use it for the good of the team and the customers.
My talent is finding your talents, and helping you put them to good use. Best ego check I’ve found for myself.
Thanks Alan.
Love “My talent is finding your talenes…” KaPow! The aspiration of every successful leader.
Things come easy when you are talented. A big danger (#11 maybe?) is what happens when you come up against something / someone where talent alone won’t suffice. Will the rely-on-talent-only person be able to effectively deal with this?
Thanks Scott,
You remind me that school was easy for me in the early years. But I came to a place where poor study habits came back and bit me.
That is exactly what happened to me, Dan. Only upon entering the real world of careers did I begin to realize what had happened.
Talent can make you “peak too early” … if it comes to easy, you lose the edge and hunger to grow… which then diminishes your talent and others pass you by.
KaChing… you’ve added to so many powerful comments.
Love this Dan. And commitment is much easier when you are passionate about what you’re doing – for me anyway.
Diana
Thanks bottomline,
I think they feed each other… commitment feeds passion. Passion feeds commitment.
Ah the old chicken and the egg question. I agree they feed each other; for me it starts with passion!
Not sure exactly where this fits in Dan, seems like it is an underpinning…attitude. If you enjoy what you do, if you believe in what you do, if you are truly committed, then your attitude should be aligned with all of that, every day and ideally, every moment. We can choose to be committed or choose to be half fast. We can choose to enjoy the opportunity of every interaction or just be Eeyore.
Thanks Doc,
You remind me that helping people enjoy what they do is an important things for leaders to enjoy doing. 🙂
This post resonated with me on this brisk morning. I am a senior manager for a Government Contractor in eastern Washington and has seen this slow move toward assumed “talent” over hard work gaining momentum over the past 10 to 15 years, ever since the .com boom. Americans are missing the point when it comes to working hard to make a difference. Leadership is not an 8 hour a day job, it takes forethought, planning and reflection. Get your hands dirty by being compassionate, staying engaged and making change happen.
Thanks for the post before the long weekend, it’ll be the corner stone for my thoughts!
Brad
Thanks Brad,
Love the sentiment in your comment. There’s a little nugget tucked away that’s important… “being compassionate” … compassion is strength not weakness. We can pursue excellence and hold ourselves to high standards with compassion.
I’ve been guilty of allowing talent to rule. like you point out, it caused me to be arrogant and not work as hard. I have to intentionally work at doing my best – not just better than the next guy.
Thanks Joshua,
“My best” regardless of the comparison. There’s the focus. Cheers
as a leader, not too sure about commitment being the main component – I suggest that a leader must have a vision or direction and commitment to executing against that vision.
People want to make a difference ( especially high performers ) and few things feed their hunger like being empowered to be agents of change within a company.
Interesting . I just joined and I just need to read /know more about business and anything to do with leadership and the corporate world because that’s what I’m studying in school. And everyone seems to know lesser than me but still it seems they know more since they always voice their opinions and I stay shut. I don’t know why. But anyway all that what you wrote is interesting. 😀
Thanks again Dan for another great article on leadership. I think this one really hits at the heart and motive of the leader. It’s that balance between being proud of your effectiveness while serving the people around you. I specifically liked 2 and 6. It’s this entitlement that causes us as leaders to take our teams, staff etc for granted and disconnect with the fact that we are there to serve them as well as lead them. I believe it’s important to focus on ourselves as Servant Leaders to avoid these pitfalls. Really enjoy your leadership point of view. Thanks again.
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