What is Talent?

^{First published November 4, 2022. Updated June 16, 2025}

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To learn the answer most aligned with your CVI energy to the question, "What is talent?" view one of the following articles:

• What is Talent: Builders
• What is Talent: Merchants
• What is Talent: Innovators
• What is Talent: Bankers

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Are you talented? What separates talent from ability? Can talent be learned or is it something you're born with? How do you find out where your talents lie?

The word "talent" is often used interchangeably with terms like personality or aptitude, but these concepts are not synonymous. Understanding their differences is essential for identifying your unique path to fulfillment and contribution.

Personality, Aptitude, and Talent: What's the Difference?

Personality is shaped largely by environment and experience. It reflects patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that develop over time and can evolve in response to life circumstances. Think of it as the mask we wear in social settings—fluid, adaptive, and often influenced by others' expectations.

Aptitude refers to natural abilities or inclinations. It encompasses how quickly you learn new skills or adapt to specific types of tasks. While aptitude can indicate where you might perform well, it doesn't always point to what will bring you the deepest satisfaction or sense of purpose.

Talent, by contrast, is something deeper and more enduring. It stems from your innate, unchanging nature—the part of you that remains consistent throughout your life. This is where your true capacity for joy, flow, and contribution lives. Talent isn't just what you can do; it's what you were meant to do.

Why Finding Talent Matters

We all yearn to find work and life roles that are fully engaging—where time seems to disappear, challenges feel invigorating, and the value we create resonates with our inner sense of purpose. Finding our talent means finding our lane in life. Without it, we risk working against our nature, experiencing burnout, frustration, and a sense of mediocrity.

But how do you find your talent? How do you move beyond personality tests and aptitude charts to discover the essence of what makes you you?

The Core Values Index: A Clearer Window Into Talent

This is where the Core Values Index™ (CVI) shines. Unlike traditional assessments that measure behavior or potential, the CVI identifies and quantifies your innate, unchanging self. Rooted in decades of application and scientific validation, the CVI goes deeper than personality profiling by revealing your core energy: the internal force that drives your decisions, fulfillment, and contribution.

The CVI is built around four Core Value Energies:

• Builder (Power) – Driven to make things happen and produce tangible results.
• Merchant (Love) – Inspired to build relationships and share vision.
• Innovator (Wisdom) – Motivated by insight, problem-solving, and inventive thinking.
• Banker (Knowledge) – Anchored in data, process, and precision.

Each person is a unique blend of these energies, with one or two usually dominating. Understanding this configuration helps you recognize not only what work suits you but why it resonates with your spirit.

When your core values are aligned with your work and relationships, you're living in your "place of highest and best contribution"—a phrase used frequently in CVI-based coaching and development.

CVI in Action: A Map to Self-Discovery

Imagine a Builder/Merchant who thrives on launching new initiatives and inspiring others with their vision. Or a Banker/Innovator who naturally excels in environments requiring rigorous analysis and elegant solutions. These insights are not just theoretical—they reflect the real, applicable nature of people as revealed through their CVI results.

The CVI doesn't just point out strengths; it shows how you succeed, why you struggle, and what environments bring out your best self. By tapping into your core value energies, the CVI helps you:

• Make better career decisions
• Improve relationships
• Enhance leadership effectiveness
• Create a life of engagement and fulfillment

Find the Version Meant for You

The CVI helps you move beyond generic advice and into tailored insight. In fact, we've created four specialized versions of this article—each aligned with one of the core value energies. These tailored versions speak directly to the unique motivations, strengths, and challenges of Builders, Merchants, Innovators, and Bankers.

Let the CVI be your map, not just to what you're good at—but to what you're meant to do.

Core Values Index™ and CVI™ are trademarks of Taylor Protocols, Inc.