Mediocre talent can win — Lesson from Simon Cowell.

Earlier on Linkedin, I stumbled across a post on Simon Cowell’s success. Aged 32, he just lost his house and had no money in the bank and just £5.26 cash in his pocket. He used that fiver to get a cab to his parents. The post goes onto explain that he could have settled foar a job working in retail or fast food, but instead worked is arse off to where he is today. Worth £550 million.

There’s no doubt he’s a great business man, and very talented in that respect. But looking at where he generates huge revenue from, Judging talent, he has little.

The posts top comment read, “And it shows that mediocre talent CAN win out”. This got me thinking… actually how talented am I?

I’ve been thinking this for a while actually. I suppose without sounding smug, some of friends see me as the ‘successful’ one. I don’t. I work around people who have done far more things, in much senior positions. Don’t get me wrong, i’m proud of what i’ve done and achieved by the age of 20. But success and talent aren’t the same thing.

This goes hand-in-hand with a conversation I had the other day around “Experts”. Fuck off if you claim to be a social media ‘guru’ or ‘expert’. There’s no such thing. Some people work in social media and therefore understand it better than others. It’s ever-changing and no one knows everything, or most for that matter. Being referred to as an ‘expert’ or ‘guru’ by a company isn’t because you are. It’s because they want to butter-you-up with some good ol’ brown nosing to get you to speak at their conference for free, write a blog for them or consult their brand on a few issues.

Back to talent.

Am I? what do I really do? To answer this, let’s look at what I’m good at. I’m great at speaking to people and making friends. I have a decent understanding of people, can manage well, and map their behaviours and I like to think I appear quite genuine and honest.

Now let’s look at what I actually do. For the most part, I work with brands, agencies, events etc to manage, advice and consult on their social and marketing strategies. I also run my own company, am part of the UK’s leading organisation for business leaders and a global ambassador for a large tech company. That’s the least bullshitty explanation you’ll get.

But where’s the talent? I’ve got to where I am right now through hard work and playing to my strengths. And that’s the key. Simon Cowell can’t sing or train his dog to dance. But he can play to his strengths. He’s a great judge, has an eye for talent and knows how to start businesses and scale them. He also knows the right people for the job, not letting his ego get in the way. Surprisingly.

I’m not particularly creative, skilled in software, articulate or educated in my field. But earlier, I said that I’m great at speaking to people, making friends, that I have a decent understanding of people, can manage, and map their behaviours. And that’s it. Playing to your strengths.

My advice for anyone trying to break into an industry they’re passionate and curious about, is to identify your strengths. Self-awareness is a bloody good trait to have. Play to your strengths, love what you do and work hard at it.

Tom.