The Career Clinic Blog

"If tomorrow you were given the chance to be great at every single skill in your life--I’m talking world-class level, in each of your various interests--would you do it?"

That's a question Daniel Coyle, author of The Talent Code, posed on his blog recently.

I thought about it for a moment and decided...no. I’d feel too much pressure to be an accomplishment factory.

It reminded me of calling the office of the elementary school I attended, to find out what my IQ was. The secretary used to be my piano teacher, and--to my dismay--recognized my voice. "You're the only person I know who would ask about that!" she exclaimed. "How could anyone not wonder?" I thought to myself.

And no, I'm not going to tell you. It was high enough to make me a little puffy, not so high I felt like I'd let the world down by not delivering more on my potential.

Genius, I decided, is like that. From the outside looking in? A whole lot of pressure.

Daniel can relate. He agrees one of the best examples we can set for a child is to let them see us suck at something--and have so much fun while we're at it.

Tennis, roller skating, even Tetris--no one can accuse me of making anyone else look bad by comparison. But fun? Are you kidding?

You can hear me three rooms away as another Tetris game unravels. I play it like I mean it. I play for the sheer joy of it, not because I'm better or faster or more graceful than someone else.

Good thing!

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How do you know you're in love with the clarinet? When you don't even want to leave it behind to go to the grocery store.

I interviewed an elementary school band teacher who told me she used to keep her clarinet with her in the car. Why? So she could pick it up when she got to a red light, and play it until the light turned green.

I don’t know how you feel about your work, but this is how I want Katie’s music teachers to feel about theirs!

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What does it mean to be a good kid?

Here’s how one woman answered that question, reflecting on a job she didn’t think she deserved for her age--or experience: “It’s being genuinely nice to people. Caring what happens to them. Imagining, when you ask them to do something, how you would feel if you were asked. It’s believing the best about people and reaching for the good in them, not taking shots or playing games. It’s being polite. It’s really appreciating things. It’s not thinking you’re something because you’re twenty-four and you have such a good job. It’s really listening when someone is talking.”

Did she leave anything out?

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Playing hard to get could cost you a job.

The employer wants to know you want to work at that company. Not because you're desperate for a job--but because you're so interested in this job.

It's like dating. You don't want to date someone who kind of likes you. You want to date someone who really likes you. So don't be afraid to let the person interviewing you know how badly you want the position.

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Once upon a time I asked my boss for the raise he’d promised and we both knew I’d earned. Now he wasn’t sure. I was stunned, and told him so.

At which point he said: “You push too hard sometimes.”

He wasn’t used to being held to his word, from what I could tell, and managed mostly by intimidation. So I was delighted, and okay, relieved, when he laughed at my response: “When (insert his name here, in italics) tells you that you push too hard, it’s time to take a good long look at yourself.”

I used to be afraid of bullies. Then I heard how the wife of a friend looked at them: “Oh well, they get the life that goes with it.” Now I’m more playful with people who intimidate me.

Or I pretend I’m watching a movie. It makes it easier to stay detached.

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