TALENT IS NEVER ENOUGH

Thomas Nelson

Contents

Acknowledgments................................................xWhen Is Talent Alone Enough?...................................11. Belief Lifts Your Talent....................................112. Passion Energizes Your Talent...............................313. Initiative Activates Your Talent............................474. Focus Directs Your Talent...................................675. Preparation Positions Your Talent...........................836. Practice Sharpens Your Talent...............................1037. Perseverance Sustains Your Talent...........................1258. Courage Tests Your Talent...................................1479. Teachability Expands Your Talent............................16710. Character Protects Your Talent.............................19111. Relationships Influence Your Talent........................21112. Responsibility Strengthens Your Talent.....................23513. Teamwork Multiplies Your Talent............................255The Last Word on Talent........................................273Notes..........................................................277About the Author...............................................283

Chapter One

Talent is often overrated and frequently misunderstood. French poet and dramatist Edouard Pailleron pointed out, "Have success and there will always be fools to say that you have talent." When people achieve great things, others often explain their accomplishments by simply attributing everything to talent. But that is a false and misleading way of looking at success. If talent alone is enough, then why do you and I know highly talented people who are not highly successful?

Many American business leaders are obsessed with talent. Some think talent is the answer to every problem. Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point and Blink, notes that many companies and consultants put finding people with talent ahead of everything else. He says, "This `talent mind-set' is the new orthodoxy of American management." Certain companies hire dozens of MBAs from top universities, promote them quickly, reward them lavishly, and never accurately assess their performance. The prime example he gives is Enron. Its talent focus was legendary. For example, Lynda Clemmons, who started Enron's weather derivatives business, went from trader to associate to manager to director to head of her own business unit in only seven years! Gladwell asks, "How do you evaluate someone's performance in a system where no one is in a job long enough to allow such evaluation?"

Talent is never enough. Peter Drucker, the father of modern management, said, "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, then the most effective and influential people would always be the most talented ones. But that is often not the case. Consider this:

More than 50 percent of all CEOs of Fortune 500 companies had C or C- averages in college.

Sixty-five percent of all U.S. senators came from the bottom half of their school classes.

Seventy-five percent of U.S. presidents were in the Lower-Half Club in school.

More than 50 percent of millionaire entrepreneurs never finished college!

Clearly talent isn't everything.

The High-Jump Principle

This is not an anti-talent book. I believe in the importance of talent. How could I not? All successful leaders understand its importance. Legendary college football coach Lou Holtz once told me, "John, I've coached teams with good players and I've coached teams with bad players. I'm a better coach when I have good players!" The more talent that a sports, business, or service team possesses, the greater potential it has-and the better its leader can be.

Most leaders understand the dynamics of ownership, shared responsibility, division of labor, committee governance, and delegation. Often leaders accomplish great tasks by dividing a job into its parts and coordinating the whole effort. Remarkable feats, such as the building of the pyramids or the Great Wall of China, were accomplished in that fashion. However, there are some tasks that are not improved by adding more people. Brooks's Law states, "Adding people to a late software project makes it later." More isn't always better, and some things are best done by an individual.

A wonderful, simple illustration of the importance of talent can be seen in a sports event like the high jump. Winning the high jump requires one person who can jump seven feet, not seven people who can jump one foot. Such an example may seem obvious, yet don't we often believe that we can accomplish more by throwing more people at a task? That isn't always the right solution. In fact, there are many tasks that call for talent more than numbers. Like high jumping, they require the extraordinary talent of one person, not the mediocre talent of many.

Putting Talent into Perspective

As I said, I don't mean to minimize the importance of talent. Talent is a God-given gift that should be celebrated. When we observe talented people ...

1. We Should Marvel at Their Giftedness

Reading leadership books by Jack Welch, I am amazed by his deep wisdom mixed with common sense. It is no surprise that he was able to turn around GE and lift it to a dominant position in corporate America. He is a born leader.

Every time I have the opportunity, I go to Sarah Brightman's concerts. I find that her voice sets her apart from other vocal artists. I often close my eyes and just listen to her sing, marveling at the giftedness of this diva. Sarah Brightman is a born vocalist.

Professional football in Atlanta rose to a new level when Michael Vick came to town. His ability to run a football is guaranteed to thrill the crowd every game. He has lifted his team and the Falcons' fans with his extraordinary gifts. Michael Vick is a born athlete.

Talent can enable people to do extraordinary things, and we should acknowledge people's talent and marvel at their accomplishments.

2. We Should Recognize Their Contribution to Society

When we observe talented people, we should note their impact. Where would America be today if it had not been formed by talented leaders? I have been reading Booknotes Life Stories: Notable Biographers on the People Who Shaped America by Brian Lamb, the founding CEO of C-SPAN and host of C-SPAN's Booknotes program. The book has reminded me of the talent of America's Founding Fathers:

Thomas Jefferson, the nation's third president and primary writer of the Declaration of Independence, was a Renaissance man: He invented the first modern plow, was the president of the American Philosophical Society, sent Lewis and Clark on the country's first scientific expedition, redesigned Washington, D.C., so that the president in the White House would have to look up to see Congress on Capitol Hill, and offered his 6,500-volume personal library...