You’ve got talent

You may have heard this phrase after a particularly impressive performance at work, at a competition, at a concert. Surely, you took it as a compliment? Is it though? Let’s take a minute to think about it.

I was once attending a large corporate meeting. As the meeting ended, people were leaving at a leisurely pace. While some were leaving, others were still in the hall, chatting, wrapping up some loose ends from the discussions, messaging, or e-mailing. As I stepped outside, I noticed a gorgeous grand piano in the lobby of the hotel and was, not unexpectedly, drawn to it. I sat at the piano, touched a few keys just to get a sense of how well-tuned it was. It was a great instrument. Then I started playing, something from Bach, then a few pieces by Chopin, Scriabin, and Rachmaninoff. As I played some of the people walking out of the meeting would stop and listen. Sadly, some took photos. Even more sadly, some took selfies.

As I finished a Chopin piece, a colleague approached and said: “I wish I had such a talent”. I smiled. “Are you sure? This talent you speak of, is basically a lot of hours.” He did not seem to be listening and followed with: “I would give anything to be able to play like this”. No, you would not — I was going to say, but instead, I smiled again and thanked him.

Saying you are talented is almost like saying that you have been chosen. You have been granted a gift, something other people don’t have. God, nature, the universe picked you from the crowd. Little too self-centered, no?

We tend to use the word ‘talent’ to explain success, why one learns, improves, achieves things faster than others. Talent is somewhat of a romanticized concept, but I say it is limiting. Deterministic. Boring. Because you either have it, or you don’t have it. And if you don’t have it, then, well, too bad — forget about ever being good in that which you don’t have a talent for. Ok, maybe physical attributes are one area where this actually makes sense. You are too short, you won’t be an NBA star. Your frame is too small, you won’t be a heavyweight boxing champion. Then again, even if you don’t have the physical attributes to be a world-class athlete, you can still make significant improvements in your skills in pretty much any area.

This is where it is best to throw the concept of talent out of the window. Instead, embrace the concepts of hard work, deliberate practice, the right coaching, and a supportive environment. Forget the somewhat mystical ‘talent’. If no one can define what it is, it is practically useless. So many of us have learned a skill, yet at the beginning of the journey, no one had said we had talent. But once you start getting to an impressive level of performance, oh, look, this is talent! Really?

So, when you perform at a high level and then you hear — you’ve got talent — you will be right to be annoyed. No one waved a wand, gave you a magic pill, and turned you into a pro overnight. Scoff away.

Conversely, when you see an impressive performance, don’t say — you’ve got talent. It is borderline disrespectful to all the hard work the individual has put in. Are you sure you are not saying it to protect your fragile ego and to not feel bad about yourself?

Forget talent. Commit. Do your research. Go after it. Find the right coach. Train, work consistently. Learn from your failures. Bite down on your mouthpiece and keep charging. Take stock, update your plan and keep moving forward.

So next time someone tells you — you’ve got talent — thank them. Smile. Then when they turn away, go ahead and roll your eyes.