Pete Delkus is not the best weatherman in the world. He is not the best public speaker in the world. And he is not the best in the world at growing his brand and following on social media. But he is one of the best in the world at the combination of all three skills, in his position as Chief Meteorologist at WFAA channel 8 in Dallas.
Delkus is an expert in what Scott Adams, of popular syndicated cartoon Dilbert fame, calls talent stacking. In his 2014 book, How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, Adams describes talent stacking as simply developing a variety of disparate skills that work well together. A person does not have to be one of the best in the world in any one field, as by merely being very good at two or more different disciplines a person can create a unique skillset that may be in high demand. Adams describes the success of his own unique talent stack:
“For example, I’m a famous syndicated cartoonist who doesn’t have much artistic talent, and I’ve never taken a college-level writing class. But few people are good at both drawing and writing, and I am pretty good at both. When you add in my ordinary business skills, my strong work ethic, my risk tolerance, and my reasonably good sense of humor, I am fairly unique. And in my case, that uniqueness has commercial value.”
This is how talent stacking works. It is much easier to be in the top 10% at several different skills than it is to be in the top 1% in any one of these skills. A student may score in the 88th percentile on the writing part of a standardized test and in the 87th percentile on the math section. However, he may score in the 98th percentile overall. Not many students are very good at both areas of the test, as they require different skills and different kinds of intelligence, so a student who is merely very good at both skills can stand above the crowd when his talents are combined.
In the case of Pete Delkus, if there were scores from one to 100 for such talents, Delkus may rate 81 as a meteorologist, 77 as a public speaker, and 84 as a social media influencer. However, a combination of these unrelated skills may allow Delkus to score a 99.6 in his unique position. His unique talent stack is: A television weatherman who connects with, teaches and informs his large-market audience, while entertaining and serving a Twitter audience of more than 375,000 followers.
Very few people in the world have combined these three skills as effectively as Delkus, and his unique talent stack created his edge over his competitors and drives his popularity in the marketplace. Delkus is the most popular weatherman in the Dallas-Fort Worth television market, which is the fourth largest media market in the U.S.
The profession of meteorology is a very niche field and career path, as universities and colleges in the U.S. graduate only 600 to 1000 meteorologists each year. Even with that small number of new graduates in the field, there are typically only half the amount of new job openings as there are new graduates in the field. Most graduates work for government agencies, such as the National Weather Service, or at private companies whose business fortunes are particularly tied to the weather, such as FedEx or Southwest Airlines.
Television meteorologists make up a tiny fraction of industry employment, and many popular local television weathermen stay in their markets and positions for decades. So, it is incredibly difficult to break into this quirky field, and even more difficult to move up to a large media market.
Many meteorologist majors become experts in the science side of the field, being very comfortable in a dark room, eyes locked on a weather radar screen, making conclusions and forecasts that can save life and property for a government or employer. But a very small number of these smart scientists can also connect with an audience, can teach and educate, and attract viewers of all ages on social media to build a brand and a following. That unique talent stack allows Delkus to be one of the very best in the world at what he does. He may not be in the top echelon of any one skill area, but he is the best when all his disparate skills are stacked and complement each other.
Delkus’ path to stardom may seem backward but is a very important example of mastery in a very niche area. Delkus received a Bachelor of Science in TV, Radio, and Film from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Delkus then attended Mississippi State University for his master’s-level meteorology courses. He first studied the media industry, how to communicate, how to build a brand and attract viewers and consumers of his content. Then he set out to study meteorology, which became his chosen profession in which to use his media training and to connect with viewers.
He was a media major who then studied meteorology; he was not a science nerd who then decided to try to get on television. And that path made all the difference.
The concept of skill stacking can apply widely to many areas of the media and business worlds. Tony Romo was not the best quarterback the NFL had ever seen. And he may not be the best broadcaster in the world. But he may be the best former NFL quarterback that can analyze a game as it unfolds in real-time and communicate those thoughts to the viewer in an entertaining and thoughtful way.
David Feherty was not the best professional golfer. Although a popular player, he never won a tournament on the PGA tour, and his best finish in a PGA major was 4th at the 1994 U.S. Open. However, after Feherty retired from the tour in 1997, he joined CBS Sports as an on-course reporter and golf analyst, and he found his true calling. Feherty knew the intricacies of the game, but he also knew how to bring humor to the oftentimes staid and boring world of course-side reporting. He combined his sharp wit, penchant for storytelling and ability to communicate with a golf audience into a truly unique post-golf career.
He is far more famous now as a golf reporter and humorist than he ever was as a golf pro. He was not the best in the world at either of his skills. But he is the best in the world at his unique talent stack.
Erick Rheam worked in the utility industry. He attended many utility industry sales conferences and listened to many speakers. He soon realized that although many people in his industry knew everything about utilities, and many people in the speaking industry were great at speaking, there was hardly anyone who knew a lot about both. Erick volunteered to speak at a conference that he attended and amazed the crowd with his knowledge of his industry and its dynamics, but also with his ability to communicate with the audience and to entertain them.
He is now a very sought-after keynote speaker, serving an industry with a large demand for knowledgeable industry veterans who know how to connect with a crowd of his peers.
Neil deGrasse Tyson is not America’s best-known astrophysicist because he knows the most about his field of science. He is famous because he is an author, communicator and speaker in a very complicated field. He brings the world of astrophysics to the masses with easy to understand explanations and lessons, so that his audience can understand just a little more about a field that was typically off limits to the masses due to its complexity.
It may be discouragingly difficult to attempt to be the best in the world at just one thing. There is after all only one LeBron James, one Robert DeNiro, and one Taylor Swift. But by combining different skills that are acquired through hard work and attempted mastery in a field, the average person can become one of the best in the world with their truly unique offering. A set of talents that only they can offer to the world.
