Cultivate Individual Talents

by Coach Doug Reese, TTNL

Don't try to perfect each of your athletes. Instead do everything you can to help each athlete cultivate his talents.

Great coaches will tell you to focus on each person's strengths and manage around his weaknesses. Don't try to fix the weaknesses. The lesson? Don't try to perfect each of your athletes. Instead do everything you can to help each athlete to cultivate their talents. Help each athlete to become more of who he already is. Keeping in mind that this does not mean the athletes cannot do things differently. Skills and knowledge are malleable. Talent, however, is not.

Great coaches can describe in detail the unique talents of each of their people:

Education equips us with "tools" we need to survive in a business oriented world. A side benefit is that it could lead you to discover your talent-be it with music, art, dealing with people, business savvy, numbers etc...

The problem is that the focus of schools is with business. If you had no clear talent or liking for anything, then you're basically "forced" to study business or something business related. Since business leaves little room for introspection, you practically live most of your life not knowing what your talent was. For all we know, the person in the cubicle next to us could've been the next great composer or artist. But that person probably doesn't know anything beyond the fact that he/she likes to sketch or play the piano.

Its a shame to live life as a demographic and not know that you are in fact capable of great things. Even if you don't use your talent to communicate with others, the most important thing about it is that you can communicate with yourself.

Not knowing your talent is the same as not knowing yourself.