Talent is Never Enough

I picked up this latest John Maxwell book in the Sacramento airport on the way home from our first visit to Dixon to check out Living Hope Church. I sat down in my cramped airline seat and began reading it. After the introduction and the first chapter I turned to Jamie and said, "If I become the pastor at Living Hope, I'm taking the staff through this book." The beginning was that good. Over the last couple of months I've been reading a few other books simultaneously and not reading as much because we've been busier than normal, but I finally finished it tonight. The end was just as good as the middle was just as good as the beginning.

Talent is Never Enough asks the question that I've often asked myself over the years - why do some talented people fail and others with the same, or lesser, talent succeed? We've all seen people with tremendous talent that are never able to get off the launch pad. (If I'm honest with myself, I've fallen into that category at various points of my life.) Maxwell aswers the question with the title of this book and states that success comes when you're a "talent plus" person. He states "thirteen key choices that can be made to maximize any person's talent". These choices also make up the chapters of the book.
- Belief lifts your talent.
- Passion energizes your talent.
- Initiative activates your talent.
- Focus directs your talent.
- Preparation positions your talent.
- Practice sharpens your talent.
- Perseverance sustains your talent.
- Courage tests your talent.
- Teachability expands your talent.
- Character protects your talent.
- Relationships influence your talent.
- Responsibility strengthens your talent.
- Teamwork multiplies your talent.

This is a great read. I'd recommend it to any leader.