I facilitation a promotion committee made up of shop floor employees who used performance evaluation data to rank all the eligible employees for a machine operator opening
Many in the room still had doubts even though Mike was the top choice.
One person said that he doesn't think he has what it takes.
Other people agreed. Mike had a hard time in his position early on. He took a long time to learn. He needed to be shown more than one time. He wasn't a "natural"
I tried to push back. It was unfair to ignore him because of his feelings rather than his logic.
It looked like I wasn't right for a while. He wasn't able to pick up basic skills after being promoted. He made a number of the same mistakes.
He knew how to do something. He was able to do it. He was an excellent machine operator within a few years. He opened his own machine shop after earning many different licenses.
Mike wasn't a normal person. He wasn't good.
Mike was exceptional.
The outcome of a particular task is the same as talent and skill are used interchangeably. How you got that ability and how quickly are the differences.
Natural talent is thought of as talent. My best friend was a natural athlete and was able to pick up any sport in no time. He was hitting topspin forehands within the first ten minutes.
You have talents.
Skills are what you learn. I had to learn how to spin the ball. I had to work on my skills. I had to improve my skills. It came slowly.
That is where the line between talent and skill can get blurry. Both of us ended up at the same place, but my friend was able to get there quicker because of his talent.
The rate of acquisition is a good indicator of talent. Mike wasn't as good as most people.
He was able to acquire exceptional skills even though he had that.
For a long time most people couldn't see past Mike's lack of talent. They underestimated him since he had begun slowly. The first impressions were still there. He was not often asked to fix other operators equipment. Even though he would have been an excellent trainer, he wasn't chosen to teach new employees. The person you want to teach you to do something is the one who knows how to do it quickly.
He was always tarred by a lack of talent.
The opposite occurs as well. People who pick things up quickly are viewed as highly skilled even if others don't. Naturals were used to train new employees. They couldn't understand why they weren't learning quickly. They couldn't explain how they did it.
They were assumed to have what it took to get promoted.
The rate at which you get a skill is irrelevant. How well you perform is the most important thing.
How long did it take you to get to a high performer?
It is possible for talent to result in a higher ceiling. Had he put in the work my friend could have been better than me at any sport.
The assumption that people who pick up things quickly have greater long-term growth potential is wrong. A lot of talented people top out quickly because of their innate talent.
Your other employees don't care about potential as much as you do. Employees are more likely to be happy if their boss is promoted from within. A Joblist study shows that 70% of respondents prefer an internal hire to an external hire.
They are aware of the skills she has. She put in a lot of time to get those skills.
What matters is what someone can do, not how long it takes.
It's the same for you as well. Don't have the ability to sell? It is possible to learn sales skills. Don't have the talent to lead? Leadership skills that can be learned include giving feedback, building teams, setting expectations, showing consideration for others, and focusing on meaningful priorities.
It's true that talent and skill are needed to perform at a high level in some activities, but most activities require skills.
The willingness to work to get those skills.
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