Many of the greatest performers of all time, across multiple fields and disciplines, were once judged as having little or no talent.
One talent scout’s assessment of acclaimed dancer Fred Astaire read: “Can’t act, slightly bald; can dance a little.” Smile when you read the talent assessment of quarterback Tom Brady by a highly regarded scout: “Skinny, lacks mobility, lacks a really strong arm, gets knocked down easily.”
Walt Disney was once dismissed from a newspaper job because he lacked creativity and failed to generate original ideas. Similarly, Oprah Winfrey was viewed by television executives as lacking stage presence and the ability to connect with viewers. Steven Spielberg was rejected from multiple film schools because of low grades and a lack of intellectual curiosity. Paul McCartney was assessed as having a pleasant voice but not one that was distinctive or powerful enough to earn success. The writer J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame faced rejections from multiple publishers because of the verbosity and complexity of her stories and prose.
The list of major stars who were initially rejected or assessed as having little or no talent is enormous. Ask the superstars of business and education, and you will hear much of the same story.
People, like leaders and recruiters, who are in the business of recognizing and identifying talent too often swing and miss when it comes to identifying those with exceptional gifts. This is especially true regarding those with rare talents who go on to change industries, break records, and become maestros at what they do.
Why are we so often wrong about those who have special talent? Perhaps it’s not about talent at all, but rather about an inner drive to succeed that distinguishes those who go onto stardom.
Of all the predictors, indicators, and barometers employed through assessments of talent, the one intangible quality that can never be accurately diagnosed or identified is drive. Many people who think they have it don’t, and many people who have it are fearful of being judged as too ambitious or arrogant to speak about it.
People who are willing to do whatever it takes and never let the foot off the pedal of self-improvement develop extreme talents and skills and not the other way around. It is the extraordinary drive and commitment to succeed that allows ordinary people to scale the heights of excellence.
Learning who has the fire is made even more difficult because the flame of drive often doesn’t take hold until after rejection or disappointment. Perhaps Walt Disney really did lack creativity and originality when he worked his first job at a newspaper. Maybe his fire was ignited by being fired. No one will ever know.
The point is not to lament the fact that we will likely miss some exceptional performers during our assessment of them. That is inevitable. But understanding the secret ingredient of massive success should encourage us to watch, observe, and listen to how others engage the world.
For those who have found a spark that has turned into a flame there is no time off from the work at becoming great. They prove it with everything they do, almost every day. Very few people have that kind of drive. When you see it, consider it talent about to unfold.
