Mona Lisa Syndrome

What makes the Mona Lisa so interesting? I have no idea, but I’m also not an art aficionado.

However, lots of other people do know what makes her so interesting, and they travel across the globe to see her.

She’s amazing.

Here’s the thing: she doesn’t know she’s amazing.

She sits in her frame looking out at the people walking by and wondering, “Why do these people stop and stare? What do they see? Is there something behind me? What’s so interesting?”

She doesn’t get it. She doesn't know how awesome she is because of this important principle:

It’s hard to see the picture when you’re in the frame.

Likewise, you might have little-to-no idea what your talents are, but other people do. If I gathered 20 of your closest friends, family, and colleagues into a room and asked them what makes you great, they’d probably identify 5-10 consistent things that make you uniquely you.

But you can't see it.

Herein lies the great paradox of talent: the only person who doesn't seem to know what you do best is YOU. Why? Because talents are natural, innate, and fluid. These talents are so much a part of who you are that you don't work to deploy them. They express naturally in your life and work.

Imagine figuring out these talents, then using them to guide the way you work. What if you could identify what you do best and use that as the foundation for your career and leadership? Better yet, don’t imagine, go do it.

How?

The same way Mona Lisa would finally see her beauty -- have someone hold up a mirror and tell her.

Start by asking the people who would fly across the globe to see you what they see. When have they seen you at your best? What did they see? And why did it have an impact on them?

​Uncomfortable? Sure. But not more uncomfortable than not knowing.

And the answer, applied to your work, just may change your whole trajectory.