Brianna Hopkins was looking forward to her interview with Henry Jacobs. This time she wanted to focus on the sparks that led to the discovery of a person’s talent. Her most recent stories showed a number of different types of sparks. Brianna especially wanted to get Henry’s thoughts because he had been very successful in helping others find their talents.
BH: I hope you enjoyed the most recent stories as much as I did in writing them. One thing that surprised me was how different the talent sparks were.
HJ: Let me stop you there. Remember what I told you during our first interview? Everyone is different and what leads to finding their talent depends on the individual.
BH: But you must have some way to guide a person in the talent search process?
HJ: Do you remember when we first met? I do. You sat in front of me very nervous. You had an old fashioned pen in your hand that I thought was your security blanket. You weren’t writing anything and when I asked you about your pen, you told me it was given to you by your grandfather. You also told me that you like to write stories but you had run out of ink.
BH: I do remember that. And I remember at our next meeting you gave me a bottle of ink. I had run out, and I couldn’t afford any more ink.
HJ: That’s right and the next time we met, you brought me a hand written short story. You were on your way to finding your talent.
BH: I’m amazed that you remember, but surely that’s not the way you help others discover their talent.
HJ: It represents two key approaches I use. The first is being observant. It’s amazing what you can see when you are looking. The second approach is to have curiosity conversations. Those conversations are not planned. They are just spontaneous explorations that open up talent possibilities.
BH: But how do you know when you’ve helped someone find their talent?
HJ: Before I answer your question, let me ask you, how did you know that you had a talent for writing?
BH: I guess it was when I felt I had something that I could contribute. It was something that gradually unfolded, but there was a time when I knew.
HJ: I call those crucible moments. That’s when the talent spark has grown to a fire in your being that becomes your why.
BH: Once again you have helped me understand talent by asking me questions rather than giving me answers. Now I understand why you are called the talent whisperer.
HJ: Let’s talk again when you send me more stories.
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“Know what sparks the light in you. Then use that light to illuminate the world.”
– Oprah Winfrey