Do you know your own talents? And do you know what competencies you have?
Did you know that the more you can use your talents in your work, your energy and job happiness is much higher than if you mainly use your competencies on your job?
You may be thinking now: is there a difference between a competency and a talent? The answer is yes, there is a big contrast and it can have a big impact on your energy level if the balance between the two is not right. In fact, it is often the reason why people are not happy in their jobs.
Let's take a closer look at the differences.
What is a competency?
A competency is an attribute that is observable and measurable.
It is additionally more than just factual knowledge. It is about skills and attitudes that support your professional competence.
The important thing to remember is that in just about every sense, you can break down competencies into three parts: know, can and are.
- Knowledge: know, know... vb: knowledge of social legislation
- Skills: be able to, apply... e.g.: be able to speak in front of a group
- Attitudes: being, behavior... vb: adapting yourself to the level of your interlocutor
Competencies are often things we learn because they are required of us. We can become very good at these, but they continue to require energy.
ANYONE can learn competencies, yet some will do it more smoothly than others. But why is that? If a competency is also a talent, it will be smoother to develop.
What is a talent?
A talent is also observable, of course, but a gift has everything to do with things that you can do well, that are easy for you AND that you enjoy doing.
A talent gives you the drive to enjoy doing it and it energizes you. You have undoubtedly also experienced many times when you are working on something where time flies or where things take no effort and happen naturally.
A great example is the hostess who served all the dishes neatly on time with beautiful presentation and perfect temperature. Your glass was never empty and it seems like she never left the table and was always chatting along. Here we are clearly talking about a talent!
Thus, talents are activities that give you a high degree of satisfaction.
Very often these are things that you yourself think are the most normal thing in the world, but that others name as an exceptional gift. We ourselves choose whether to develop them further or not. Everyone undoubtedly still has hidden talents, that is, gifts that you have not yet put to use today.
Brief reminder:
| Competence | Talent |
| Focused on environment and organization | Focused on your person (there is no distinction between work and personal) |
| Learned | Congenital |
| Is about norms, values and agreements | Is about personal motivation: heart, soul, meaning |
| Something you have to maintain | Lasting quality |
| Knowledge, skills and attitude | Energy, vision and intuition |
Have you ever experienced that you look forward to the outcome of a task, but look up to the task itself? If so, chances are it is a competency and not a talent.
You may sometimes think when reading a job posting that the job is right for you because of knowledge and experience, but also dare to consider how long such tasks take you or how much energy it takes to complete them.
Know that these types of career choices can end in burnout.
So it is very helpful to take a moment to reflect on who you are and what you really want. By doing this exercise you are investing in yourself, in your future and in being happy and you are preventing possible burnout.
During our career counseling, together we draw up a career compass where we look for your competencies, talents and values. We will also look at what you would like to develop and what the possibilities are to realize this.
- Do you also want to invest in yourself?
- Do you want to invest in your future?
- Want more energy left over after a work day?
Get the best out of yourself and become successful at what you do!
Request a free phone consultation with one of our Travvant career coaches today.