What Talent or Skill Do You Wish You Had That You Don’t?

A humble answer to a common corporate icebreaker question.

Photo by Etienne Girardet on Unsplash

What talent or skill do you wish you had that you don’t?

I was recently asked this silly hypothetical at a team-building session. And I did not have to think long to answer this question.

Yeah, it is probably not considered cool to covet your spouse’s superpower, but if I could Shang Tsung a talent from anyone, I would swipe a particular one from my wife.

My wife is utterly amazing when it comes to remembering other people’s names and backgrounds. She can run into someone she only talked to once five years ago and recall their name and what town they live in, ask about their kiddos and spouse also by name, and even check in on how their rescue pet named ________ is doing.

It is freaking uncanny.

I have a strong memory for facts and creative ideas — I don’t forget much of anything. Really. Yet I still find myself repeating a new acquaintance’s name 500 times in my mind just so I can struggle to say it once before the end of a meeting.

So if I could shoplift any skill, that would be the one.

What talent or skill do you wish you had that you don’t? It would be awesome to hear your answers in the comments!

Adrian S. Potter — the antisocial extrovert — is an author, engineer, consultant, and public speaker. He writes poetry, short fiction, and articles on various subjects, including creativity, leadership, and personal growth. Adrian is the winner of the 2022 Lumiere Review Prose Award the author of the poetry book Everything Wrong Feels Right (Portage Press). Visit him at http://adrianspotter.com/.