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The Future of Leadership - Shaping Talent
The Future of Leadership - Shaping Talent

Executives, Decision-Makers, and Colleagues,

Every company says there’s a shortage of talent. I disagree.

What’s missing is the ability to spot it, shape it, and give it the right opportunities.

The Myth of Shortage

When leaders complain about talent shortage, they usually mean shortage of fully developed talent  people who are ready on day one, who need little to no training. That pool is always limited.

But raw talent exists in every country, every company, every community. People have aptitude, curiosity, and drive. They just need guidance, coaching, and a chance to prove themselves.

Raw Talent Is Everywhere

In sports, coaches don’t wait for world champions. They start with high school players. They look for attitude, aptitude, and ambition — then shape them.

Businesses must do the same:

  • When you hire only “ready-made” talent, you inherit other people’s work.
  • When you identify raw talent and build it, you create your own future.

Lessons from the Field

One company I’ve worked with in China started recruiting at the high-school level. They trained their people, shaped their attitudes, taught values, and gave them real responsibility.

A decade later, those same people, many without college degrees, are running companies at age 30. With ten years of experience, they can match any 40-year-old professional in judgment, skill, and leadership. That’s what happens when you invest early and coach continuously.

The Making of High-Potential Leaders

Some of these individuals rise faster. They become captains of teams- high-potential leaders.

What sets them apart?

  • They are magnets for others.

People want to work with them because of their integrity, their stretch, their ambition.

  • They help others grow - and in doing so, grow themselves.

That’s the first mark of a high-potential leader.

The Leader’s Mindset

If you already have that magnetism practice it. If you don’t, develop it.

Because I believe anyone can become anything if they are determined, disciplined, and never give up.

The Lesson for Leaders

Don’t complain about a talent shortage. Look for raw potential. Shape it. Invest in it early.

Talent is not found- it is formed. And that is how enduring institutions are built: one eager learner at a time.

"There is no shortage of talent, there is an abundance of raw talent."
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© 2026 Ram Charan. All rights reserved.
Global Advisor | Author | Speaker
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