We look for the greatest trends in the market, the hottest startups, the next big idea ... all in an effort to capitalize on potential. 

The greatest potential we can capitalize on is often right in front of us and overlooked.

  • Top performers in any industry were once beginners. 
  • CEOs of large organizations were once entry level employees. 
  • Well known authors and speakers were once unknown people with unspoken insights. 

What if the next Bezos, Benioff, Nadella, or Joly were working in your organization right now? What if you recognized their potential and developed it?

What if you had access to the next Jim Collins, Stephen Covey, Patrick Lencioni, Simon Sinek, or Brené Brown right now, before their breakout book or talk? What if you tapped into their insights? 

  • Jeff Bezos once worked as a short-order line cook at McDonald’s during the breakfast shift, as a director of customer service for a start up, and as a project manager in the banking industry, prior to founding Amazon in his garage on July 5, 1994.
  • Marc Benioff spent 13 years in a variety of executive positions in sales, marketing, and product development before founding Salesforce in his rented San Francisco apartment in 1999
  • Patrick Lencioni spent a combined 10 years at Bain & Company, Oracle Corporation and Sybase, as an employee with a liberal arts education from Claremont McKenna College, prior to founding The Table Group in 1997, eventually becoming one of the top CEO coaches and leadership authors of our generation. 
  • Brené Brown began her career as a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work with a focus on authentic leadership and wholeheartedness in families, schools, and organizations. She presented a TED talk on "The Power of Vulnerability" in 2012, which today is one of the top five most viewed TED talks with over 40 million views, and is now a five-time #1 New York Times best-selling author. 

The next great leaders and thought leaders are among us right now.  

Great organizations recognize the talent within and around them, and they seize the opportunity to develop them and invest in them. 

The greatest opportunity to capitalize on potential, to reach our goals faster, to achieve our purpose, is right in front of us. 

It’s not a stock, it’s not a startup, it’s not a big idea. It’s the people around us.

The greatest question we must ask ourselves is, who are we helping them become - and what are we learning from them in the process?

Written by: Davin Salvagno