Brianna was looking forward to her next interview with Henry. She felt that she had a better handle on her future role as Henry’s successor, but she had a lot of questions. The previous five interviews she had done had opened her eyes as to the many facets of discovering and nurturing talents, but she had more questions.
BH: Could you describe how you see your role in discovering and nurturing talent?
HJ: Think about when you arrived at the foundation. You weren’t thinking about your talent, were you?
BH: Not at all. I just needed a place where I felt safe.
HJ: Once you felt safe, then what happened?
BH: I found people who actually cared for me. I was accepted for who I was. Nothing mattered to those who reached out to me about my background or biology.
HJ: Then what happened?
BH: I guess I began to trust others and believe in myself. Actually, It took me some time to trust you.
HJ: Do you recall that moment when you trusted me?
BH: Very vividly. It was when you asked me about the pen I was holding in my hand. You then gave me ink for my pen. For me, that was my crucible moment.
HJ: You started writing stories with that pen and that was the beginning of your talent development. What led to the overall development of your talent as a story capturer?
BH: I don’t know. Maybe it was just practice and writing.
HJ: It was more than that. You began to develop self-reflection skills. Have you ever regretted anything that you wrote?
BH: Every piece I write leads to regrets when I think about it later.
HJ: And what do you do about regrets?
BH: I try to improve on my writing, my interviewing, my relationships with the subjects of the stories I’m writing about and all aspects of what I do.
HJ: Does the regret destroy your self-confidence?
BH: Not at all. I think it makes my talent stronger. I no longer worry about what others say because I know my own value.
HJ: Now let’s review what you just told me. Discovering and nurturing your talent involves:
- Feeling safe as a person
- Having others who cared for me
- Trusting others
- Experiencing a crucible moment
- Learning how to practice self-reflection
- Embracing regret and learning from it
- Building my internal confidence in my talent
BH: Well, you’ve done it again. You helped me answer my own questions. We talked about my becoming your eventual successor. What do I do now?
HJ: That’s a subject for another conversation. Let’s talk soon.
* * *
“Self-discovery is among the greatest of discoveries, like atoms, electrons, and neutrons, which cannot be seen but whose impact can either destroy billions of lives or save them.”
– Raj Suthar (Author)