From Tyler Cowen and Daniel Gross’ book, Talent:
"Don't underestimate how little people, including your employees and applicants, may think of themselves. There is an ongoing crisis of confidence in many human beings, even in the best of times, and that means high returns from nudging talent in the proper direction... Don't assume that your best and most productive workers actually know what they are capable of, because very often they do not and need nudging in the right direction to realize their full potential... When you raise the aspirations of an individual, in essence, you are bending upward the curve of that person's achievement for the rest of [their] life.”
And this one:
“If you believe that talent is the greatest asset of your institution, you also ought to believe that your soft network is one of the greatest assets of your institution. Because that is how you will attract your talent in the future; furthermore, those subsequent hires will help you retain your current talent by making your institution more successful and a more attractive and prestigious place to be.”
Here is more from me about talent: