How does a model gain over 10,000 followers per day? If someone said she stacked a few talents together would you believe them.
Talent stacking is the reason Scott Adams gives in his blog post, The Kristina Talent Stack.
Kristina Basham is the model talked about. Being attractive helps but that’s only part of the reason for her success. That’s where talent stacks come into play.
“The idea of a talent stack is that you can combine ordinary skills until you have enough of the right kind to be extraordinary. You don’t have to be the best in the world at any one thing. All you need to succeed is to be good at many skills that fit well together.” — Scott Adams
If you’re reading this you might already have a talent stack that you haven’t identified yet. These aren’t world-class skills though having some won’t hurt. Most of us will need to work with our above average skills. What is something that you can do better than most people?
Job titles aren’t part of your talent stack. I think debating between mobile developer vs front-end developer misses the point.
You want to find a combination of skills. Some ideas are: Computer Programing, Writing, Podcast Editing, Sales, or Public Speaking. Just to name a few.
Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert gives a good example when talking about himself.
“I’m not much of an artist, not much of a business expert, and my writing skills are mostly self-taught. I’m funny, but not the funniest person in my town. The reason I can succeed without any world-class skills is that my talent stack is so well-designed. (That’s intentional, by the way.)” — Scott Adams
We all have a list of skills. If you don’t I would recommend starting small or even find something to learn next.
So what’s Kristina Basham talent stack. You can learn more about it in Scott’s blog post.
She’s basically putting in the work. Kristina has a degree from Berkeley, and has been modeling for years. She knows about lighting and camera gear from all the photo shoots. Is an expert at makeup, knows about social media, and SEO. She even has a system to A/B test different photos before posting them on Instagram.
Understanding your talent stack can help you generate a story behind your skills. It can help you standout the a crowded world that we live in today. No one can be uniquely you. You’re the only person alive with your exact life.
Stacking skills can be a framework to help identify what you uniquely bring to the field.
It feels like we should try to be the best you and not someone else.
For a little bit more on Scott Adams I would recommend checking out his blog. He’s also been in some great interviews. Here’s one on the JRE Podcast #874, and also on The Tim Ferriss Show.
How would you describe your talent stack?