A Career Lesson From Leonardo Da Vinci

Self Portrait: Leonardo Da Vinci
(1452 - 1519)

Earlier this week, it was the birthday of Leonardo Da Vinci. That's right, 15th April 2009 was the 557th birthday of one of the smartest people that ever lived. A genius, some would say.
 
A Genius - Why?  
 
Well, apart from being one of the greatest painters of all time (who painted The Mona Lisa portrait), he also had many other talents and careers. He was also an architect, inventor, mathematician, engineer, sculpter, anatomist, musician and writer.
 
He was truly multi-talented and achieved success in so many different areas despite having no formal education. 
 
You're a genius too 
 
But being multi-talented is not just the preserve of the likes of Da Vinci - you too have many different talents. Your whole team is multi-talented. Your whole organisation has multiple talents - despite having people who are pigeon-holed into different jobs.
 
Why does this matter?
 
It matters because we now live and work in a work-place that will constantly change and adapt. Technology and globalised competition mean that there is no such thing as a 'job for life.' No such thing as a 'one career career'
 
The graduates coming out of college and universities today are likely to have 5 career changes by the time they retire (that's right 5 career changes, not job changes). Over the next decade, learning how to reinvent yourself and tap into different talents to serve different market needs will become a life skill that everyone will need to learn. 
 
So your ability to change and adapt to the modern economy will play a big part in your career success - a big part in your future earnings potential.
 
And being a multi-talented Da Vinci who can operate in different roles and functions is a central part of that success and earnings capacity.
 
Plus, of course, being multi-talented allows you to become recession proof by ensuring you don't get pidgeon holed in one career.
 
The quicker you realise that you do have multiple talents, the faster you can leverage your skills and the better placed you will be for the modern work place.
 
So How Do You Do That?
 
1. Don't be defined by your job title

You are not defined by your job title and you are not constrained by your departmental function. You're a multi-talented, multi-faceted individual with a range of skills and talents that are portable - just like Da Vinci.
 
When you position yourself as a solutions provider who can solve multiple problems across a range of roles and environments, you open yourself to many more opportunities and so avoid being pidgeon holed in one role or one career.
 
2. Be clear about your unique talents and transferable skills

Your unique talents and transferable skills are at the core of your unique proposition. A key part of what differentiates you from the rest of the crowd - and ultimately what enables you to be mobile across a range of roles and sectors.
 
So, what are the unique talents and skills you possess? How are they different to your peer group? How can these translate to other roles and functions?

3. Focus on the results of your talents

It's not what you do or what you know that's key - but the results of that talent and knowledge that's most important.
If you can't demonstrate tangible, commercial benefits that result from your talent, then you're diluting your success.
 
So in order to be able to have a Da Vinci style ability to shift across roles and professions, get really focussed on the quantitative and qualitative results you have and can deliver - and how you can flex those across different roles and environments?
 
4. Be ok with screwing up

Da Vinci may be famous for all the grand paintings and inventions - but if you do your research, you'll see that he made his fair share of mistakes too. He also had a huge number of projects and paintings that he started, but never completed.
 
But it was this willingness to start things without fear or the need to be perfect that helped him break new ground and become a success in so many areas.
 
The same applies to you. Stop trying to be perfect and start experimenting and exploring different roles and functions well before you need to make a change.
 
5. Open your mind

Leonardo Da Vinci thrived in so many fields because he was open-minded enough to learn and develop himself whilst taping into the latent talents he already possessed. Talents which he adapted to different vocations and pursuits. That's precisely what you need to be doing.
 
Without an open mind, none of the points above will mean anything to you. Without a willingness to think differently, this will be nothing more than an 'interesting article' that sits in your mailbox or trash folder.
 
Over the last 500 years, Da Vinci has gained a cult like-status because of he's ability to succeed in a diverse range of fields. An ability that has us refer to him as a 'genius.'  
 
But in the coming years, we will all have to become a 'genius.' Being able to tap into a diverse set of talents and applying them to a diverse set of roles, functions, sectors and markets will become a basic requirement for those that succeed. It will be the only way to survive in a modern work-place characterised by global competition, rapid technological change and old industries disappearing overnight - whilst new industries appear out of thin air.  
 
So to survive and thrive, we all need to learn the lessons from Leonardo and tap into our own multiple talents and adapting to them to the changing needs of the market - in much the same way that every firm is attempting to do right now to survive. 
 
In fact, people's inability to tap into multiple talents will leave pockets of the workforce in certain locations and industries unemployable. Something the multi-talented, recession-proof Leonardo Da Vinci never had to worry about.....

By Sital Ruparelia

Comments

[billiesucher]

Sital, I love this post...especially point #5...Open Your Mind....think differently. Had this very conversation with a client yesterday....that they are so much more than the job title on their business card! Have skills, will travel! Thanks for such a very fine post!
- Billie Sucher

[Carolyn King]

Yes! Loved the article - definitely not one that will sit in my trash folder!

[Sital]

carolyn/billie - thanks for the kind comments

[Rensil]

Dear All,

Hey! take this One Minute HR Survey & know what other HR Professionals from the industry think about the current scenario & the latest Human Resourse trends...also get Exclusive free HR Reports & White Papers..

Here's the link :

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=yGF3HUwQoPIIgosD_2bhG9UQ_3d_3d

Cheers,

Rensil

[generic Viagra]

Leonardo is revered for his technological ingenuity. He conceptualised a helicopter, a tank, concentrated solar power, a calculator, the double hull and outlined a rudimentary theory of plate tectonics. Relatively few of his designs were constructed or were even feasible during his lifetime, but some of his smaller inventions, such as an automated bobbin winder and a machine for testing the tensile strength of wire, entered the world of manufacturing unheralded. As a scientist, he greatly advanced the state of knowledge in the fields of anatomy, civil engineering, optics, and hydrodynamics

[Keylogger Software]

nice post here,thanks for share!thanks again!

[cara meninggikan badan]

The graduates coming out of college and universities today are likely to have 5 career changes by the time they retire (that's right 5 career changes, not job changes). Over the next decade, learning how to reinvent yourself and tap into different talents to serve different market needs will become a life skill that everyone will need to learn.

[tinggi badan]

You are not defined by your job title and you are not constrained by your departmental function. You're a multi-talented, multi-faceted individual with a range of skills and talents that are portable - just like Da Vinci.

[NFL Jerseys]

Leonardo is revered for his technological ingenuity. He conceptualised a helicopter, a tank, concentrated solar power, a calculator, the double hull and outlined a rudimentary theory of plate tectonics. Relatively few of his designs were constructed or were even feasible during his lifetime, but some of his smaller inventions, such as an automated bobbin winder and a machine for testing the tensile strength of wire, entered the world of manufacturing unheralded. As a scientist, he greatly advanced the state of knowledge in the fields of anatomy, civil engineering, optics, and hydrodynamics

[cheap nfl jerseys]

A good authentic NBA jersey isn’t cheap, but there are ways to get wholesale nfl jerseys with good quality. Sometimes there is no need to spend a large fortune for a NBA jersey, when you could get a marvelous cheap NBA jersey with the similar characters. They are also comfortable, with good ventilation, offering you a fashion look.

[cheap nfl jerseys]

I have some trouble to subscribe the rss feed, anyway I've bookmarked this site, is very useful and full of informations.

[Wholesale NFL Jerseys]

Good information about taking backup of post. many
of the time it is very necessary to take up backup of
post. I would like to follow your blog. Thanks for providing this very valuable post.

[cheap nfl jerseys]

Hello dude, just browsing the networks looking for some stuff and came across your page. I am engraved by the content that you have on this website. It shows how good you follow this subject. Bookmarked this blog, will get back for further. You, buddie, ROCK!!!

[cheap nfl jerseys]

it is so good and i will be back to read it again.so nice

[dofus kamas]

great blog. plz keey it away. lol

[Impotence causes]

A very good greetings to all readers. I think everyone should agree with me in thinking that the anatomy is the foundation of all learning, whether any medical science or a motor or other device, first to learn of any branch must be known physical or anatomical structure. From this it should start then delve into the subject, here is the importance of anatomy.

[Cheap viagra]

Good afternoon colleagues and friends, my name is Rich, I share with you my humble opinion on this article in person, when he started reading it I thought it might not be as interesting, but when developing reading I fully realize it's great, is great, I look forward to reading many more contributions like this.

[my blogpost]

Thanks for sharing. this new knowledge for me

[monster energy hats]

I hope this allowed, I have never used this website before so I wasn't really sure what this was going to do. So this is just a test post. I really like this forum, it has some excellent discussions that take place.

[air jordan 6]

The investment future person will be, will be loyal to the reality person#.

[starcraft 2 cheats]

It's only 2 degrees above the normal high. So it's not that different from a usual winter.

[air jordans]

I hope you all have a blessed day

[cheap jordans]

Oh I do hope to visit some day! What a great place to work!

[generic cialis]

Nice post, I would like to request you to one more post about that

[Cat Boots]

CAT Footwear is the world's leading footwear companies in the rankings. They are an experienced, when it comes to make Cat Shoes and Cat Boots, they are proud of the Caterpillar brand owners and their mission is to provide the market with the latest developments in the shoe department of a comfortable, durable shoes. Their area of expertise in their shoes, Caterpillar Boots with special features is just to make sure every footwear will be comfortable to wear as the first priority. Some models have steel toes, and some do not, they have given, to some extent, the inner surface can easily be removed, put back some of the special archs orthopedic support, not slippery. Surprising to know that these features bootshave to prevent electric shock, and thermal insulation of the action.

There are Ladies Caterpillar Boots, while other prominent women's shoes, Caterpillar will be moving within the raised floor, allowed the wearer to replace the floor the other Mens Cat Boots. Orthotics are custom. These boots will provide comfort and protection, women were not the case. Whether you want to put your shoes when working or when you are climbing, this is the best choice, you can. Women's Caterpillar Shoes in different designs, and provide price will vary depending on your choice. ...