Profiles in Talent & Virtue

Robert Houghton|May 30, 2021

3 min read

Updated: Dec 13, 2021

Welcome to a new ten-part podcast series to begin on Monday, June 10th. On June 10th, you will be able to view it in my Podcast section of my website at https://houghtonsearch.com/podcasts/ or on Apple Podcasts here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wdc-metro-insurance-careers/id1489738286

The Podcast is called, “Profiles in Talent & Virtue.” It is a series of ten interviews with Captains of Industry & Sport, Distinguished members of our Military, along with some ordinary people who have demonstrated that Talent and Virtue can still co-exist in today’s field of battle and in the boardroom.

We will explore with our guests exactly what is Talent? What is Virtue?

And why is Talent AND Virtue so important in today’s world? More importantly, how can this separate you from the pack in both your personal and professional life?

I CANNOT WAIT TO DO THIS SERIES.

I come across a lot of clients and candidates in my WDC metro recruiting business who have immense power, status and money. But are they virtuous? Sure there’s a few, but just a few.

Can talent and success co-exist with Virtue these days? Absolutely. During the next ten episodes to follow in this series, I am going to introduce you to ten unique individuals that I personally know who possess this unique combination of Talent & Virtue.

I guarantee you these interviews will be informative, inspiring, and entertaining.

You’re going to meet a Top Gun Naval aviator, an Army Green Beret, one of the nation’s top recruiters in aviation, a two-time Silver Star Marine special operator, a former CIA Chief of Station, and a unique insight into the mind of a young man who led his high school football team to its first state championship in their history as their quarterback against all odds.

In this series, I am going to give you several pearls of wisdom offered by my guests and provide concrete examples that will help you build, grow, and nurture your professional careers and your personal lives and at the same time live a life of virtue.

Specifically, the following takeaways will be offered:

What is Talent?
Borrowing from a ground breaking Harvard Business School Article published in June 2014, we will discuss the four pillars of talent: determination, curiosity, insight, and engagement.
We will discuss the importance of Grit, a close cousin of Determination.
What is Virtue?
We discuss the Four Great Virtues: Courage, Wisdom, Justice, and Temperance.
Courage: the willingness to say or do something right and just, but unpopular.
Wisdom: having the knowledge to know what is right.
Justice: the desire to act upon what is right
Temperance: to act, but in moderation.
How do the Talented develop their own talent?
What does these superstars in their chosen do to sharpen their saw…to become a peak performer?
What is that Inner Fire that drives them?
Is being virtuous on the field, at the office or home pay worth the effort? How?
How does combining Talent & Virtue get you ahead?
What are the daily habits of talented and virtuous people? What are their routines?
We dig deep into the key attributes of Talent:
CURIOSITY: a penchant for seeking out new experiences, knowledge, and candid feedback and an openness to learning and change
INSIGHT: the ability to gather and make sense of information that suggests new possibilities
ENGAGEMENT: a knack for using emotion and logic to communicate a persuasive vision and connect with people
DETERMINATION: the wherewithal to fight for difficult goals despite challenges and to bounce back from adversity