Discovering, developing and deploying your talent
Like attitude, every human being is born with a talent - a special ability that allows an individual to undertake specific tasks very well and with less effort. This natural gifting of talents to all human beings is irrespective of where and how an individual was born.
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But as many experts, including celebrated author and life coach, John C. Maxwell, have posited, talent is not enough unless it is properly developed into a useful venture.
This is where the issue of talent discovery, development and deployment come in handy
While some people have been able to discover and nurture their talents into enterprising ventures that fetch them money, the same cannot be said of others. Most people are indeed, even unable to discover what their talent is neither to talk of grooming and turning it into profitable ventures.
This is not good for the proper development of the individual and the society at large, a lawyer and an educationist at Novel, Mrs Yvonne Nyarko Mensah, said on weekly motivational talk show, Springboard, Your Virtual University.
With talent being a gift from God to mankind, Mrs Nyarko, an individual's inability to identify and groom his/her talent meant that such a gift would have been underutilized, resulting in less productive to the person in question and society at large.
Contributing to a discussion on talent development on show, Mrs Nyarko, who doubles as a fashion designer, said children needed to aid to first identify and develop their talents into ventures that can help reap them profits.
She advised against forcing children to do things that please only their parents, explaining that such conservative behaviors were inimical to the successful growth and nurturing of talents.
"You see, talent is given by God and throughout life, God helps us to develop the talent or talents that He has given us. No one can imagine how a child will turn out unless that person supports that child all the way. So, parents need to be open minded on this," she said.
Using herself as an example, Mrs Nyarko said unlike other parents, her father aided her to realise that she needed her natural liking for law and fashion, which then formed the basis of a personal plan she developed to help maximise them.
That plan, she said played a critical role in developing her into who she is currently. It is also a teaching guide, which she now uses to teach younger people on talent discovery and development.
Aiding children to discover talents
Contributing to the discussion, an educationist and Dean-Emeritus of the African Leadership Academic (ALA), Prof Uzo Agyare-Kumi, explained that increasing globalisation and modernisation had blurred the line between what was considered talents decades ago and what younger people of today see as talents.
Parents, she said needed to realise and accept this shift in talent classification to be able to help support the discovery and development of talents in their children.
"If you think about 10 years ago, we did not have mobile phones and this sort of ICT, social media and the transparency that they bring. These were not as vibrant and rich as they are today. So, our children today have so many opportunities to use their talents, connect with other people and explore new things," she said.
While these help ease the burdens of life, they also alter the way children of late develop their talents, she said, explaining that there needed to be increased discussions on talent development to help expose people to the rudiments of the practice.
"I think that we can do more. There are ways we can infuse these into mainstream curricula. We do not do very well in Africa and Ghana. When we look at our educational system, we say this is how it has to go and if you do not follow through on that path, then anything the child does is seen in a negative way," she said, adding that talent discovery and development needed to be fused into mainstream curricular.
As a result, she proposed that children between the ages of four and six years should be taught talent discovery and development to help ensure that they are properly exposed to it at a much tender age.
Don't abandon your passion
Celebrated television (TV) icon and standup comedian, Mr Kwaku Sintim Missa, who joined the discussion, explained that people were gradually becoming flexible on talent developments compared to the olden days, when most parents were fixated on medicine, law and other core professions.
Mr Sintim Missa, who is popular called KSM, advised people against abandoning their passions, explaining that such a step was suicidal to the progress of the person.
"What I will advise is never ever abandon what you are passionate about. You may out it on hold or the educational structure may not accommodate it they way you want to pursue it but just make sure that you are holding on to that passion," he said.
"This is because eventually, that talent will show up again and that may even be the thing to rescue you in terms of career development. If you want to ride a hour we but in the meantime, you are being forced to ride a donkey, you just ride that but do not forget that eventually, it is the horse that you want to be," he explained.
He admitted that he lived his dream and was happy that he had been able to pursue his passion, which he is continually nurturing to help bring out the best.
This, he said can be done by continuous learning and practice to help perfect the talent one has.
Celebrated musician and entrepreneur Okyeame Kwame, also noted that although talent development and deployment were both tedious, the deployment was more cumbersome due to the externalities associated with it.
He recounted how his extended families members opposed his decision to go into music but explained that his father always stood with him on the matter
"I remember that when I started rapping, I was only 14 years old, and my mother's auntie, who was then staying in Accra came to Kumasi to set up a family meeting to tell my father than does he not know I will be 'high' if I am allowed to continue rapping? My father intentional misunderstood the comment and said 'yes, I want him to be high because if he is high, it means we are having social mobility,'" he said.
"Almost a year after, my mother's family fought with my father because they said I should stop the rap and concentrate with school," he added.
Having weathered that stormed, Okyeame Kwame said he has now been confronted with talent deployment, which has been hindered by poor systems and structures, lack of finance and foresight in the creative industry.
To young people, Okyeame Kwame said "find that one thing you feel awesome about and keep doing it, provided it is not illegal." — GB
