Recognize Talented Individuals

[April 26, 2026]  I have long believed that it is a moral duty, a necessary and profound duty, to recognize talented individuals and give them opportunities where they can excel.  I also understand that talent is rare and that people don’t understand that. Indeed, there’s a massive inequality in the distribution of talent.

I know it’s harsh and hard, but we can’t expect everybody to have every talent that there is, and it would be a tremendous sacrifice if no one got to have any talent because it wouldn’t be fair.  This is why the whole “equality of outcome” ideology is a non-starter.  Such ideology fails on its face; it simply doesn’t work.

There certainly is a wide range of talent across multiple domains of human existence; there’s talent distributed everywhere. It is also a truism, at least in the Western world, that each of these individuals should be put in a position where their talents are best utilized, and best for them and their community.

Dr. Jordan Peterson is fond of saying that “there aren’t that many geniuses.”  He would like to see them work for us.  “If the price of that is somebody has more than you do of something, well, suck it up, for Christ’s sake.”

Anyone who has been in a leadership position knows they should be on the lookout for talented people, people who are talented in ways that help their organization.  And recognizing that talent means compensating them somehow, that keeps that talented person motivated to do even more good works.

There are a variety of tools we can use to find talented people, such as written tests/qualification exams.  More importantly, we leave recognizing talented individuals up to those in charge; a somewhat risky, and in part, inconsistent success rate.  But when we do see that talent manifests itself, we know society as a whole benefits.

Whenever we see talent, there is the implication that we are also judgmental and have strong opinions.  We should not be afraid to admit that, since this is the way to reward those who are most talented.

Here is a caveat to this moral duty.  The most successful people are not necessarily the most talented, but they are the ones who have persevered through the longest and hardest challenges.

Here is another caveat.  Attitude matters, and it matters a great deal.  Larry Elder wrote about a friend of his who was the best athlete he’d ever seen.  But because that friend had a bad attitude, he was not successful later in life.

The lesson here is that we should all be prepared to find and reward talented individuals.  But just being talented doesn’t mean that a person will automatically become successful.  And that is where good leadership comes in to mentor and guide those folks along.

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Please read my books:

1. “55 Rules for a Good Life,” on Amazon (link here).
2. “Our Longest Year in Iraq,” on Amazon (link here).