In his book, Strengthsfinder 2.0, Tom Rath observes that the best use of your time is to invest in your dominant talents by adding skills, knowledge, and practice to the mix. He then presents the following equation to multiply raw talent:

TALENT x INVESTMENT = STRENGTH

TALENT is a natural way of thinking, feeling, or behaving. The Strengthsfinder assessment (included with Rath’s book) helps you identify your top five talent themes. INVESTMENT is the time spent practicing, developing your skills, and building your knowledge base. Think of investment as your personal growth plan to maximize your God-given talent. When talent is multiplied by investment, it results in a STRENGTH -the ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance. This raises two important questions:

1. What are your primary talents?

2. Have you developed a personal growth plan to help you fully invest in the growth of your talents? 

Your answers to these questions may very well predict your future performance. When you understand your talent but fail to make a growth investment, you end up with untapped talent. And when you make an investment in your growth but you are unclear about your talents, you end up with an unfocused life. But when you start with talent and multiply it by continued investment, you discover the extraordinary compounding impact of a strengths-based life.