Truly valuable talent has never been identified through a single interview.

Truly exceptional people don’t suddenly grow just by joining a community, attending a few classes, memorizing a few concepts, and learning a few tricks.

If I were to use Patriarch Subhuti from Journey to the West as an analogy, I think what a community should really learn isn’t “how to teach people,” but how Subhuti discovered someone, assessed them, nurtured them, and ultimately sent them out into the world.

Because at its core, top-tier talent development isn’t about shaping someone into the person you want them to be.