ALT-1 How to Develop your Talents at Work
First of all, developing "talents" at work does not mean that an employee sings or makes beautiful sculptures for the office! The idea of "work talent" refers to situations where an employee has a limited work function that neither utilizes existing abilities or develops more abilities.
A back office person for example, can have the talent, skills and experience for customer service. Ex military employees have been trained to perform well in many additional duties. Older employees may have any number of talents or skills from previous work experience. In all of these cases, a solid plan, some training and some opportunity would allow such employees to demonstrate more abilities.
Developing existing talents is a process of finding out where a satisfying talent may be needed and volunteering for special projects or training that will provide knowledge and opportunity. Of course, these extra projects have to be done in ways that do not jeopardize primary job performance.
For entry level employees, the first priority is to become functional and comfortable in the primary work processes that they were hired to perform. Relatively inexperienced new hires are better served by focusing on the primary job for the best possible performance before branching out into new areas.
The best way to develop talents at work is to get a clear understanding of the work processes that offer both opportunity and job satisfaction. This process requires some research, observation, interest and effort.
When additional training or skills are required in order to develop a talent, it is essential to prepare the mind and to know how and where to get those skills. Know what courses, time, energy, and effort is required in order to complete the training. For existing talents, there may be some additional or updated training that is needed before volunteering them in a particular workplace. For new talents, the process might be detailed, require extra work and take some time.
Training and special projects can come in the form of formal training programs, or these opportunities can be informal processes where a co worker or manager sees talent, capability, and passion, and is willing to open doors. Simply wanting to do certain functions or to "try out" a new area is not enough. The employee has to bring something to the table before co workers and higher management will give up time or funds in order to help.
In one example of a missed informal training opportunity, an employee asks another employee to informally teach some basic computer programming. Both arrive at work a half hour early every day, but the employee who wants the training chooses to have breakfast rather than to spend that free half an hour learning the programming software. This gives a lasting impression of a worker who wants something, but who is not willing to work for it.
In an example of missed formal training opportunities, an employee asks to be scheduled for expensive classes, but did not know about the rigors of traveling and going through the serious coursework. The employee complains about the travel and consistently fails to do well in the classes.
These two examples reveal a major truth: The employee who needs training in order to develop a talent must actively participate in the training and must appreciate the help when it is offered, because those opportunities, once withdrawn, may never come again.
Having an existing talent for solving problems or improving work processes makes for relatively easy talent demonstration. This is done by identifying a problem, developing the best solution, then working with the supervisor in a collaborative and approval process. This is not done by trying to "fix things that are not broken", but after a few real successes in problem solving or work process improvement, the talent will have been demonstrated and noted by the supervisor. The supervisor will be better equipped to identify other opportunities for developing and using that particular talent.
As a cautionary note, the employee who volunteers too much or displays too many talents is highly likely to be dumped on by management, which is notorious for overburdening the person who "always gets the job done". This can lead to poor overall performance, which is worse than not having done anything special at all.
Develop a prepared mind. Be particular, picky, and specific when volunteering to demonstrate or develop new talents. Take the time to analyze the benefits and drawbacks of a few favorite talents. After taking steps to focus on a few particular talents, it will be easier to choose the opportunities that are satisfying, will lead to success, will help the resume and performance reviews, and will provide career benefits.
In summary, the primary job is the important job, so the act of developing an additional talent must not become so overwhelming that primary job performance suffers. Developing a specific, well defined talent in the workplace is a process that requires solid and careful planning, research, observation, and collaboration with the supervisor. Finally, opportunities for training, opened doorways, and experience can come from unexpected sources, so keeping an open mind and a prepared mind will help to recognize and respond to those talent development opportunities that will lead to successful and satisfying career progression.
