One of the most valuable things in business and life is trust. Trust is hard to earn but can be easily lost. As a consultant, I have encountered issues related to trust and its effects on business. Specifically, I've witnessed the remarkable impact of saying "yes" in business on cultivating and maintaining trust. I have observed how confidence can affect business and life, and I've come to a significant realization: in most cases, people who kept their word earned trust. People tend to say YES to those they trust, and this correlation between trust and saying "yes" is undeniable. What does it mean to say YES? We use the word YES to approve if something said is accurate or correct. YES comes from the Old English word gise, gese, which means "so be it!" There are many ways to convey the sense of YES. Some of the synonyms include: definitely, of course, sure, by all means, that’s right, you bet, you’re on, affirmative, be my guest, I don’t see why not, yea, yeah, yebo, yep, you betcha, yup, is the Pope Catholic? The meaning we give to a YES varies. Saying YES after long and arduous peace negotiations or at your wedding doesn't have the same significance and importance as answering YES to the question: “Are you hot?” These nuances are the origin of many interpersonal difficulties. Let us look at the different types of yeses below. Types of YES Saying YES does not necessarily mean we agree on something. Some factors determine the type of YES we are likely to receive or speak to someone—the word YES can be said deliberately or coerced. When YES is forced, there will be no willingness to follow up on the YES, which can be detrimental. A YES should be intentional and contain a desire to carry through what has been agreed upon. Looking deeper into the process of saying YES to something, the degree of freedom of choice, the intentionality, willingness, circumstances, and surroundings when deciding to say YES play an essential role in the type of YES. These factors form the basis of the four variations of yeses: The Gut-Yes The Social-Yes The Defensive-Yes The Fake-Yes Below is a pictorial representation of the variations of YES. Anssof Matrix of YES From the image above, the horizontal axis goes from a YES said under total external pressure, no natural choice, to a YES expressed when you are free to do so, and it is your own choice. The vertical axis goes from being 100% willing to make what we have said YES to a reality (total commitment) to zero willingness to comply with what we have agreed to. Let’s look at what these types of yeses mean. The Gut-Yes The Gut-Yes corresponds to the YES, that is entirely deliberate. The person is then unquestionably willing to bring what they are saying YES to into existence. We have a conscious decision or choice, an expression of total agreement about the subject. In other words,…

Over the years, while deeply engaged in designing team alignment programs, I've interacted with numerous dedicated business owners and recruiters, all driven by the quest to secure the finest additions to their workforce. However, what struck me profoundly was the unwavering determination exhibited by each of them in pursuing remarkable individuals who could contribute to their enterprises. This phenomenon often seemed to transform the recruitment landscape into a fierce battleground, where securing the right talents bore semblance to a relentless competition for achieving nothing short of sustainable organizational growth. As much as the recruiters in their job advertisements were looking for talent, when I interacted with job applicants, most did not discuss their talents but skills, know-how, and competencies. Isn’t that strange? Our education system never delivers a diploma for talent but always certifies abilities. I noticed a big misalignment between what companies were looking for and what the applicants offered. In this article, I will share my discovery of the misconception of these two terms to help applicants understand what the recruiters are looking for by answering the following questions: Are talent and competence the same thing? What are the differences between these two terms? How do they affect the life of the individual and the team in the long run? What is talent? Talent is a natural ability or aptitude that allows someone to shine in a particular activity, especially without training. According to Etymoonline, the word talent comes from the Medieval Latin talent, which meant weight, the sum of money. The meaning of "special natural ability, aptitude, a gift committed to one for use and improvement" was developed by mid-15c. in part perhaps from the figurative sense of "wealth," but mostly from the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14–30. A talent is something a person is born with. It has to do with the innate qualities they possess. It is the role they tend to play naturally in life and most of the time in their work. The person having the talent may not necessarily value it. It is second nature for them, and they don’t seem particularly excited. Knowingly or unintentionally, they find themselves involved in situations where they use their talent. Other people end up soliciting them for their talent even if they don't promote it. For example, we can all talk, but you can see that some people are naturally talented at communicating. Those people excel best in sales and marketing jobs. What is competence? Competence is the ability to do something well or effectively. Competence derives from the French word “compétence,” which meant "sufficiency of means for living at ease” in the 1630s. The meaning "adequate range of capacity or ability, sufficiency to deal with what is at hand" is from 1790. One develops competencies through school, training, and practice. Competence is not static; it continuously evolves and grows. For example, a programmer's skill grows as he continues working on various projects. The more you use a competence, the sharper and more potent it becomes.…