Talent, Skill and Experience

For having been in software for so long - especially in the Indian environment - I have had lots of experiences in being mentored and mentoring... I would like to share my thoughts....

With years of experience I have had good, bad and worst experiences in Recognizing, Respecting and Retaining talent. Talent is something rare to find, if found, hard to withhold, if withheld, tough to retain. Research says, Skill can be learned but talent cannot. Talent, one should be born with it. I am not sure how apt that research is, but looks true. Maybe, that is right. While skill can be learned, how good you get it, all depends on ones talent again. Experience, on the other other hand, neither needs talent not skill, this just comes by itself. What is important is what one gained with experience. If someone does the the same thing they did the same way in year n the way they did it in year 1, that experience is of no value and unfortunately most of the Indian - so called enterprises - I believe have failed to understand this. Fortunately, the start-up culture seems to be changing it.

I have had enormous opportunities to mentor freshers, what I learnt from experience is that, one cannot induce talent into someone. It is just impossible. I have learnt it from my experience. At least, I failed doing so. We can try inducing skill, but then, how well it is taken has always confused me. At that moment, it seems to be well accepted, but turns out to be an illusion only at later stages. 

While I was pretty excited in mentoring people and honestly put all the efforts whenever there was an opportunity, I now regret for what I have been doing. I only realized it late in my career. It was just a baggage I was carrying all the time without which, I believe, I would have grown faster and better. When I dig back into history and check where I went wrong, this is what I came up with:

• Talent is rare, I failed to realize that point. In fact, I failed understanding what talent really means. I was in a perception that it can be taught, only to realize at later stages, that It cannot be. 
• Not many companies are ready to afford talent, it is expensive. Indian community always has a saying - cheap and best - but never realized that "best never comes cheap", doesn't really mean that something expensive is always bright. Even that fails. 

What would have I done better, for me?

Work at better places, where the real talent is. As I failed to identify talent, I was never right in judging my work place. Whatever I am today, I taught "most of it" myself, the hard way !!! While I honestly respect some people I encountered in life, for my good. Those who have really changed my life. I really do not want to mention about them here.

Maybe this is what I should have done:

"Be Talented" in identifying the right workplace that well recognizes talent

"Be Talented" in evaluating the workplace that respects talent 

"Be Talented" in evaluating the workplace that retains talent

For that to happen, one should be qualified to be a part of that workplace. 

Good Luck !!!!