The Economist writes that “talent has become the world’s most sought-after commodity.”
This survey will argue that the talent war has to be taken seriously. It will try to avoid defining talent either too broadly or too narrowly but simply take it to mean brainpowerthe ability to solve complex problems or invent new solutions. It will thus focus on what Peter Drucker, the late and great management guru, called knowledge workers. But there is no point in being dogmatic. The nature of critical talent varies from company to company: it may be the ability to crack a few jokes while turning an aeroplane around in 25 minutes, as demonstrated by Southwest Airlines. It is one of the marks of a sophisticated society that it rewards a wide variety of different talents.
