How Much Do You Think Talent Matters?

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The biggest shift in my thinking in talent as a byproduct of working with Tyler has been on the value of things like energy and sturdiness and industriousness over raw intellect. And we're certainly not saying that horsepower and IQ don't matter. They certainly do. But there is a clearing bar at which point for most roles I think people tend to overvalue it.

How can one identify and predict talent? On a search to answer this question and others like it, Tyler Cowen joined venture capitalist and entrepreneur Daniel Gross to explore the art and science of finding talent in their new book Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World. In a panel discussion hosted by Shruti Rajagopalan, Cowen and Gross discuss the applications of their new book, particularly how lifestyle characteristics can indicate an individual is capable of great creativity and talent.

Daniel and Tyler also discuss undervalued talents and skills, what talents they look for in the start-up and investment world, why there is no good chocolate ice cream to be found in San Francisco, what their exercise preferences indicate about their personalities, how they approach identifying talent in different countries and industries, how immigration impacts entrepreneurialism, the short-comings to Zoom interviews, what a messy desk reveals about a person, and more.

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Recorded June 29th, 2022 Other ways to connect

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