As many of you know, I spend about half of my work life practicing as a Clinical Psychologist.  This is not only my first love, professionally, but it occasionally gives me new and inspiring glimpses into the resiliency and brilliance of the human condition, and allows me to uncover some of the undiscovered treasures that are hidden within each of us. 

One of my clients is a very successful businessman, who was also, unfortunately, exposed to many years of significant and continuous childhood trauma.  No one under those circumstances escapes unscathed, and many get stuck in a world full of hopelessness.  What kept him going?

It turns out that he was one of the few people who, on his own and by the grace of God, became aware that he possessed a very special gift.  The gift first began to reveal itself when he was just eight years old — At this young age, he was compelled to read almost anything he could get his hands on, if it had to do with great wars and leaders of the past.  He was especially enamored by leaders who could see things (solutions) that no one else could see, and through that "seeing" could convince others to attempt "the impossible."

This special interest, he would learn, didn't exist in a vacuum or appear out of the blue.  To the contrary, he began to see that the very existence of the interest in reading (what most of us would ignore) was because it was an extension and sign of his gift.  It was later, in his work life as an adolescent, that he began to see clearly that he had a knack for finding efficiencies that no one else could see, and implementing the changes necessary, much to the amazement of his employers.  And even later in college, graduate school, and beyond…he clearly grasped that he had a knack for boiling complicated political, financial, or business ideas and images down to single page descriptions that would get to the heart of the business solution that seemed to elude everyone else.

Because of this gift and his history, both at home and in business, he has developed many foundational ideas that have successfully guided his hiring and his expectations of others.  Here are just three of his beliefs:

1. There is a Spark of Greatness in everyone…
2. Very few leaders are looking to find or develop that spark…
3. And, if they are, they never know when they'll run into someone with that special gift to match the needs of their organization.

If you are a manager of people, ask yourself these questions:

1. Do you look for that Spark of Greatness in others?
2. And when you find it– Do you look to develop it?
3. Do you make snap judgements that may lead you to miss potential talent?

In the next issue, I'll further this discussion with comments (as described by this client) regarding how to interview in a way that uncovers people who want to develop their talents, and how to elicit those cross interview questions that I'm hoping agents will be asking you.

Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.