Study the lives of unquestionably talented figures such as Winston Churchill and George C. Marshall and some thoughts invariably arise: What cost would have been paid if those talents had remained in the wilderness? And how many other extraordinary individuals were left in the forests and never had the opportunity to demonstrate their worth?
These concerns should be considered by top management. Marshall himself kept a small book in which he evaluated various officers he'd met; a personal talent bank that he could draw upon in the future. His practice is rare. Executives walk past untapped resources every day and seldom make even a minimal effort to assess the abilities that are out there. If their assumption is that talent will naturally rise to the top, they have a thing or two to learn about organizations and history.
Brilliance must be cultivated, but at times it must also be rescued.
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