Why do we miss greatness?

On Thursday, I stood on stage in front of a room full of brilliant engineers, visionary founders, and high-stakes decision-makers to deliver my Wonderhell keynote — a talk about ambition, growth, and that weird liminal space between success and self-doubt. You know the one.

You’ve just achieved something you once thought impossible…
And instead of feeling satisfied, you’re overwhelmed by the possibilities it unlocked.
Excited. Anxious. Grateful. Exhausted. Welcome to Wonderhell.

It’s the place where success isn’t a finish line — it’s an invitation.
To see what else you’re capable of.
To stretch. To bet on yourself.
To grow into the person you haven’t yet become.

But here's the thing most people miss:
You don’t grow alone.
You grow in the context of a team, a leader, a culture that sees your potential — even before you do.

Which brings me to my new keynote...

Limitless Talent: How to Spot, Stoke, and Scale Human Talent in a Machine-Driven World

Right after my keynotes, I often have leaders and managers come up to me asking: “How do we actually spot the kind of talent that grows with us — not just gets the job done, but helps us build what’s next?”

It’s not about hiring rockstars. It’s about recognizing the nine success-predictive traits already sitting in front of you — the ones most leaders overlook because they’re too busy chasing flashy resumes and repeatable credentials.

During this 12-minute talk I gave back in May, I shared a story about Hedy Lamarr.

Yes, that Hedy Lamarr. The most beautiful woman in Hollywood who also happened to invent the technology that would later power Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS.

The men at the Pentagon couldn’t see her genius. She didn’t look like greatness to them.

And that, my friends, is the problem.

We say we’ll “know greatness when we see it,” but if that were true, we’d all be leading dream teams by now. Truth is, if you only hire what you’ve seen before, you’ll only build what you’ve built before. You’re not designing the future — you’re just photocopying the past.

It’s time we stop hiring resumes and start spotting potential.

Because your next superstar? They might not come from the biggest school or flashiest role. They might be right in front of you — hiding in plain sight, waiting for someone to see them, stretch them, and bet on them.

That's why during my Limitless Talent keynote, audiences learn:

• The AI/Human Split: A simple matrix for what AI should do (automate the obvious) vs. what humans must own (the remarkable).
• The Greatness Framework: How to develop Catalysts, Mentors, and Innovators—and grow talent unicorns who will be great no matter the challenge.
• Beat Functional Fixedness: Fast, practical moves to see people as more than their current role.
• The Three Most Important Questions to Ask to Tap Hidden Potential
• 90-Day Action Plan: A concrete playbook to spot, stoke, and scale talent—starting Monday.

Because greatness isn’t something you find. It’s something you grow.
And in a world where AI is taking over the repeatable and predictable, it’s the human potential you nurture that’ll set you apart.

So, let’s stop wasting time chasing external rockstars and start investing in the greatness we already have.

Because if we don’t… someone else will.

Want to bring this keynote to your organization? Let’s talk.
And as always, forward this to the leader in your life who needs to hear it.