Strengths, Skills, Talents & my Acts 29 Assessment
Justin Taylor recently shared comments from Matt Perman about the differences between strengths, skills, and talents.
- People should make sure not to confuse “what I’m good at” with “what my strengths are.” Your strengths are what make you feel strong. If something is a strength, you are also good at it. But you can be good at something that you hate doing. That is not a strength, and shouldn’t receive your focus.
- This shows more specifically what role the individual has to play in discerning his or her calling—for nobody but the individual knows what he or she really enjoys. The community is critical in identifying “misyearnings”—things you enjoy but are bad at. That then needs to be integrated with something that only the individual can asses—your own awareness of what you find most energizing.
- It’s worth noting that lack of skill can often be confused for lack of talent. The community of advisers needs to keep this in mind. Talent can be defined as the innate ability that allows you to do something well. This is a basic feature of one’s personality and isn’t chosen. Skills, on the other hand, can be learned. If you have talent but lack skills, you might not be very good yet. So people might encourage you to go in another direction, but in reality you could get the skills and, combined with your talents, become very effective.
- Strength in something comes from talent, skill, and knowledge. The key to developing a strength is to add knowledge and skill where you have talent. Your talent multiplies the effect of those skills and knowledge, resulting in a much greater effect than adding them in areas where you lack talent.
Number 1 especially hits home to me. One of the topics of discussion during my Acts 29 Assessment was my gifting, as assessed by entrepreneurial and DISC assessments, and how I seemed probably a better fit for a #2 guy vs. a lead planter. One of my responses was the fact that administrative stuff comes very naturally to me, but I don’t enjoy it, it doesn’t bring me joy. I’m looking for opportunities at Grace and beyond to minister in areas that are both strengths and passions and I am praying that God would speak to me through those and direct my path.