A Concept of Talent: Redefined

Govt of India, Copyright Office by Silky Sharma, Dr Akhilesh Kr Misra, Shiv Ranjan

A number of efforts have been put in trying to understand the concept of Talent. We have also attempted to propose a model to be called as IDN Model that aims to Identify, Develop and Nurture the Talent at Individual Level.

As we all know that Individual Factors are unique to every individual that let the individual adopt his own ways to reach to his performance and potential levels in life. The degree of each factor varies in individuals letting them adopt and create ways to interact with External Factors and Learn from various sources of Learning in his Social, Religious and Spiritual Circle.

Individual factors solely or while interacting with factors in External Environment leads to generation of Emotions in Individuals towards specific goals and abilities to be acquired. Also, if Interest and Need are very high in Individuals, they create the opportunities to perform to become successful. Similarly key life moments and challenges help in identifying the opportunities and importance of those.

Availability of Various Sources of Learning affects individuals’ factors by reshaping their personality, altering belief system. Also these learning sources help individuals develop their Aspirations and Expectations Levels and helps in creating unique Experiences and interpretation of those Experiences at different stage of life. However the initial years of age, education, learning and experience are crucial and quite fruitful period for an individual.

There are External Factors that impact the individual and his learning from the environment. Often, the stimulus in the form of a situation or a person comes across to individual that helps him in identifying and Developing the Talent. Financial Support is crucial for investment and furthering the effort to develop, refine and shape the Talent in an individual at expert and professional level required to compete with others and perform at superior levels of performance. Financial aid is mostly received by family member, however sometimes is received from any other volunteer. An individual comes across various Opportunities and Challenges during various stages of life and many a times also created in life by mentor or lucky time frame. It is significant for an individual to identify those opportunities and challenges and take a constructive approach making best use for greater benefit. Here, individual factors like personality, belief system, grit, commitment, aspirations and expectations plays a significant role helping individual for decision making.

Having understood the importance of opportunities and making use of learning’s, the individual gets propelled and positive emotional state is achieved wherein Interest in aroused towards that particular activity. The resourceful individuals consciously create the need or scarcity and work for their strengths and abilities. Another set of individuals are propelled significantly out of the strong need felt to remove some of the deficiencies in their life. It thereby motivates them to generate emotions of Interest as they are left with no choice. The Need reaches to hunger level for such individuals.

Rewards and Punishments given during Education time period or at workplace at different life stage gives individuals motivation and drive to perform and excel. In today’s time period of so many options and distractions, individuals opting to implement the means and learning’s from Religion and Spiritual Area perform with Focus and Concentration that are essential for extraordinary performance be it sports, academics, or any other recreational activity.

Many a times Talent is not utilized properly and one of the main reason is the lack of opportunity or no opportunity received throughput life of an individual. Sometimes opportunity comes once or twice and then not encountered again leading to diminishing of Interest Levels in individuals. Thus regular number of opportunities and of progressive level are needed to nurture and make use of Talent to the fullest at organization and societal level.

Performing at some opportunity and getting success generates interest and need to Taste the Success Again and Again. Emotions of Interest, Need and Success create a continuous loop for individuals to enhance performance and succeed leading to the full realization of Talent, which is so invaluable and rare.

Thus Talent (T) can be defined as a function of Emotion (Interest & Need) denoted by E and Opportunity to Perform (O) wherein both are multiplicative and if anyone these are missing, the Talent cannot be harnessed.

T= f (E * O)

Where T stands for Talent

E stands for Emotion (Interest & Need)

O stands for Opportunity to Perform