How to Succeed with a Unique Talent Set

Why trying to be the best is ineffective

It would seem that it sounds logical: if you want money, fame and respect - become a leader in your field. But this strategy is only good in words. In fact, only a few can achieve such a result, and not only because the others try little or work poorly. Some don't have enough talent, some don't have health, connections and money, some just aren't lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.

There will almost always be someone who surpasses you, who will be more talented, more active, resourceful, more efficient, more successful, richer.

But this is not a reason to give up and sign up for a losers club. You can collect from your skills and abilities a kind of constructor that will not make you the best, but will help you occupy your own unique niche. This strategy is called talent stacking.

What is "talent accumulation" and how does it work

This approach was first discussed in his blog by artist Scott Adams. If the name is not familiar to you, you may have seen short funny comics about the character of Dilbert and his office routine. These seemingly unpretentious drawings brought their author $ 75 million, although he himself openly admits that he can not be called a genius artist, or a genius comedian or businessman.

What's the secret? He has assembled his own set of several talents and skills. Here's a combination that, according to Adams, made him unique and led to success:

Ability to draw.
Sense of humor.
Willingness to take risks.
Self-promotion and business skills.

Adams considers the current president of the United States to be one of the illustrative examples of the successful accumulation of talent. Because Donald Trump knows how to speak in public, hire the right people, understands politics, knows a lot about sales and promotion, has a good sense of humor. This is not to say that he has achieved perfection in any of these areas, but mastering each of them at an intermediate level creates a unique combination that makes Trump who he is.

About the concept of talent accumulation and his own experience, Scott Adams wrote the book "How to Fail in Almost Everything, But Still Succeed: Kind of like the story of my life." It is not translated into Russian, but if you read in English, you can buy it on Amazon.

How to Build Your Talent Set and Become Successful

1. Choose your core skill

If you want to excel as an artist, this is drawing. If you see yourself as a popular pastry chef, you should be good at baking. A good teacher is fluent in the subject and various teaching methods. Etc.

2. Accept that you don't need to be the best

This perfection is unattainable. Unless you are a genius (which is quite rare), someone will always be more capable than you.

It is not constructive to hone your skills endlessly and try to catch up and overtake all your competitors.

This leads to stress, anxiety, and frustration. It is much more effective to bring your basic skill to a confident intermediate level (it will certainly grow in the process of practice) and take up other talents.

3. Think about what skills can be useful in your business

Observe people who have already achieved some success in your professional field. And analyze what strengths help them earn money, be recognizable and in demand. Make a list. This is what can be included in it.

Understanding trends … What products are in the bestseller section, what services do Russian-speaking and foreign bloggers talk about, what they like and repost on social networks, what customers want to buy or order.
Knowledge of the basics of marketing and SMM. How social networks work, what promotion mechanisms exist in each of them, how to draw up a content plan, where, from whom and how to order advertising.
Basic photography and video skills. Ability to put light, build a frame and add interesting details to it, possession of the simplest graphic and video editors.
Writing skills. Ability to present a product deliciously, write a useful column, tell an interesting story or case.
Knowledge of foreign languages. To promote yourself to overseas audiences and interact with clients from other countries.
Good self-organization. Competent time management, the ability to adequately allocate time, effort and other resources. High level of self-discipline. And also the ability to delegate tasks, find good employees and assistants.
Communication skills. In order to build a dialogue with clients and customers, win over potential buyers, quickly make useful contacts.
Public speaking skills. They will help you lecture, lead master classes, participate in conferences and become recognizable.
Unusual appearance, striking style. Yes, beauty can play into your hands, no matter what you do. As well as exotic facial features, memorable hairstyle or the ability to put together a spectacular wardrobe. All this attracts attention and arouses interest.
Sense of humor. For example, you know how to screw a couple of sparkling jokes into your speech or make a viral meme.
Knowledge in specific areas. Those that can make you a unique specialist. For example, if you are a copywriter who understands cryptocurrencies and blockchain, then you can write about these topics for specialized resources and blogs and raise your prices.
Other skills, qualities and characteristics. For example, courage and willingness to take risks. Or unusual and memorable hobbies. After all, you can have a funny cat, and his photos on social networks will collect hundreds of new followers for you, and therefore potential customers.

4. Determine which of these skills you already have

The list doesn't have to be long. But it should include only those skills that you can actually use right now, and not someday later. So be very honest with yourself.

5. Make your skills work for you

Once you've assembled your own unique mix of talents, start using it to its fullest and enjoy the results. If you write well, invite a media outlet to create an interesting column for them that will be useful to readers and tell about your product or service.

If you are good at public speaking, apply to attend a professional conference. If you look amazing, book a stylish photo shoot and post them on social networks.

Remember to use all the skills in your set. Focus on what you do best. And if you still lack some critical quality or skill, think about where you can get it.