My name is Jennifer, and I have been living in Belgium for six years. After years abroad working in for-profit organisations, I decided to find an environment that aligned better with my inner values. The non-profit world looked like a good fit for me, even if people around me looked a bit hesitant: would a local non-profit in Ghent really be open to a foreigner like me with more experience abroad than in Belgium and no previous experience in social profit?
It was an organization called Konekt vzw that finally gave me my chance: I worked there for three years. Konekt aims for the inclusion of people with disabilities in every aspect of their lives. What attracted me to this job was not only its vision, which I absolutely support (my mom also has a disability), but it was also clear from their website that the talent-based approach heavily influenced all their work. This was something that I didn’t know before, but I found super interesting. Of course, I knew the word 'talent,' but I had always considered its meaning very elitist: the idea that only a small part of the population is born with certain talents (meaning they excel in certain disciplines or are considered the best in their fields).
What is the talent-based approach?
The talent-based approach developed by Luc Dewulf goes much deeper than that. According to this theory, everyone has talents! A talent isn't about excelling at a particular activity, but rather about any activity that comes naturally and satisfies you. It makes time fly by and recharges your batteries. Your talents give you energy. However, identifying these talents is not easy, especially because since childhood, people around us (particularly at school and within the family) focus more on things we need to improve, rather than on the things that are already going well. When we grow up and enter the job market, we often feel like an island: according to the majority of job descriptions, you need to be able to do everything perfectly.
An important part of this theory is also understanding what non-talents are. Rather than thinking of a non-talent as something we must desperately try to fix, we can see it as an opportunity for cooperation. This applies to different aspects of your life: you might be very good with words and a good listener, but lacking in organization. If you have a colleague who complements those traits, you can learn from each other and cooperate, rather than wasting energy trying to force yourself to do something that doesn't come naturally.
My direct experience with the talents-based approach
Before calling me for an interview at Konekt, the recruiter emailed me the short talent test by Luc Dewulf. I found this incredibly refreshing: while many organisations focus solely on your previous roles, this potential employer really wanted to understand the unique set of talents I possessed, including those I might not have fully expressed in my previous jobs, but were still part of my potential. I remember taking the test and later discussing it during the interview. I still recall what they told me: 'Jennifer, it really looks like you can already identify a lot of your own talents!' While it came as no surprise to me that I am good at analyzing myself (sometimes even overanalyzing!), I simultaneously felt a bit spooked as my imposter syndrome kicked in. Did I exaggerate the evaluation of my talents? Years later, after deepening my knowledge of the talent-based approach, I realized that the answer was no. For me, as for so many others, listing the things we are good at (meaning the things that give us energy) doesn't come naturally. You simply don’t want to brag, because we are far more conditioned to list the things we could improve and do better.
The flip side: pitfalls and pressure points of your talents
Of course, it would be too easy if the talent-based approach didn’t have a challenge. Even when you know your talents, there are pitfalls, especially during stressful situations. Take me, for example: one of my talents is that I am a ‘bridge builder’; I love bringing people’s interests together. I’m not a fan of conflict, but when I find myself facing it, I look for points of agreement to connect people. When there’s tension in the air, I notice it right away; I can immediately tell who disagrees, and those people get the bulk of my attention. When two sides clash, a bridge builder often stands right in the middle, trying to absorb the impact from both sides to keep the conversation going. But what’s the main trap? You can end up carrying the emotional weight and stress of other people's conflicts. If the bridge collapses anyway, you might wrongly blame yourself for failing to connect them. Dewulf argues that you shouldn't try to change your talent, but rather develop a leverage skill to balance it. For a bridge builder, that skill might be assertiveness and learning to set clear boundaries.
Empowering your future: next steps and resources
Knowing your talents can certainly help you make better decisions in both your personal and professional life. For example, having a job where you can actively use your talents will not only be more satisfying but also far more sustainable in the long term.
Interested in this theory?
You can take Luk Dewulf's free online talent test: https://lukdewulf.com/inspiratie/tools/
The test is available in Dutch. If you're still learning, don't hesitate to use your favourite translator!
