“I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate.”
– Julia Child
What is your recipe to turn raw talent into refined strength? Almost everybody has one thing they can do in the kitchen that impresses. Admittedly, for some of us that may be our ability to clean dishes. But that is a talent as well, and one deserving of its own recipe for refinement.
My wife’s skills in the kitchen are fantastic. But they weren’t always that way. She had to work to develop her craft. Refinement was a process, just like the recipes she followed for countless dishes, she had to develop a way to mature as a cook.
The same holds true for your CliftonStrengths.
The Ingredients
Let’s start with the 2 ingredients we’re talking about today.
Raw Talent is defined by Gallup as naturally occurring thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that can be productively applied.
Whenever you look at raw talent, you’re going to see four characteristics. That person is uninformed, inexperienced, self-focused, and unproductive.
Refined Strength is defined by Gallup as consistent, near perfect performance in an activity.
It’s really important to understand that a true strength is talent that has been applied to an activity. In this particular case, I’m going to share with you today, the activity is my wife’s cooking and it is near perfect.
The Recipe
Rhonda and I have been married for 38 years. When we first dated, it was her mother who was the cook. But early in our married life the extent of her culinary prowess ended at guacamole. Really good guacamole, but we couldn’t live on chips and guac alone.
So, she challenged herself to research new recipes and to watch cooking shows with world-class cooks. She then joined a group dinner where we not only got to eat with others, but we had to host dinners ourselves.
She started putting this pressure on herself to learn, to practice, to experience different kinds of foods. Eventually, she embraced the kitchen and her skills improved so much that she is sought after by friends and family to give advice, share recipes, and even to cook for them.
And by the way, one of Rhonda’s sayings, which I just admire so much, is, “Everyone has to eat. Why not make it special?”
Let’s Mix it Up!
When you think about your own talents, which ones of your talents are still raw? It should be easy to spot which ones are uninformed, inexperienced, self-focused and unproductive.
Many of us go through a lifetime with raw talents. We’ve never been mentored or coached. We’ve never gained the information or received the mentorship or training we needed to develop them.
So, ask yourself, what activity do you want to be world class at? Then, what are your natural reoccurring thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that could be productively applied?
CliftonStrengths gives you a strong starting point so you can direct your learning and develop the knowledge you need to make your talents productive and perform them nearly perfectly. For help in perfecting your Refined Strength recipe, I have my “How to Turn Raw Talent Into Refined” workbook available in my free Strengths Champion Toolkit.
And if you need further guidance you can participate in one of my masterminds or contact me directly at Ask Brent Anything.
