Experienced judgement has often been wrong when it comes to talent.

It is often a strange thing but too often senior players can be overly judgemental about developing talent and yet history has often taught us that the greatest talents can come from the most unlikely of areas. In this time of need, the real challenge is to free up talent and to give all talent the opportunity. It does require risk and patience but it is important that change is generated.

When Maria Callas walked onto the stage as Elvira to perform at the magnificent Gran Teatro La Fenice in Venice in 1949, her vocal range took operatic performance to a whole new level. At the time, few expected her to become a dominating figure as she did.

The same is true of two of the greatest footballers even to stride a field. In 1958, in Sweden, a young 17-year-old Brazilian footballer was about to deliver a display of footballing skill that would reshape history and restore pride and a sense of nationhood to the inhabitants of Brazil. The footballing order was about to be demolished by a young talent from Três Corações. A new multi-racial squad was emerging, amongst them a young black Brazilian by the name of Edson Arantes Do Nascimento - Pele.

Brazil, determined to leave nothing to chance in their preparations for Sweden, employed the services of a psychologist to test the mental strength of the team at the training camp. Pelé didn’t perform well, being judged as “obviously infantile” and “did not possess the sense of responsibility for a team game” the psychologist reported, based on drawings he had been asked to make. Even worse, his teammate Garrincha had been judged to be an “idiot”. However, the facts will tell all that Brazil never lost a match in which the two played together.

Judgement is not always correct. There are many who have found success almost in spite of judgements made about them; in fact, often they have acted as catalysts to raise their own bars of excellence.

The 1958 Brazilians were patronised and ridiculed at times for their multi racial team and also how many of the players appeared. It served them to raise their bar and to change the game.

The challenge now is to find and empower a new generation of talents. So often business focuses on control and process over empowerment. In a time of crisis, maybe it is the opposite which is needed?

Photo: By Unknown author - El Gráfico #2291, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54129253