Nations of talents
By Guest Writer posted October 14, 2024 (198 View)
Melon Ma became an air stewardess at 22, and was laid off with the arrival of Covid-19 when all planes were grounded. Sad but determined, she self-trained as a software writer. At the age of 28, she was head-hunted to run a virtual bank team.
We cannot but admire nations which developed and became wealthy because of people like Melon Ma, as IMD, the premier business school institution, unveils the World Talent Ranking for 2024.
Beyond IMD’s measurable ecosystem criteria, knowing agile talented people, especially those who elevated themselves beyond their comfort zone, is a life adventure. Culturally and historically, it may also come down to Calvinist or Anglo-Saxan upbringings, to mere survival instinct, blossom creativity during dark winter days, or just pure drive to get rich!
I have met a few of them:
- A Singaporean publisher of printed phone books who elevated his business to sell and train users of software when Microsoft made the transition from physical to online distribution
- A Norwegian politician who became a global CEO of a telecommunication conglomerate
- A Finish priest who became an icon of a successful public relations firm
- A Swiss chemist who side-stepped from beauty product research to wellness products
- An English e-sport enthusiast was a sole recruit in 2017 to work for F1’s global business
- A Thai data scientist who heads a team of 15 different specialists working on RMA-based cancer treatments
We can also introspect cultural and historical strengths that made the success of these countries in their quest for talents:
- Switzerland: local skills in precision (chemistry and small mechanics) that went global as perfectionists
- Singapore: Transform themselves from being good traders to good business managers
- Hong Kong: Hiring top-notched academics whose perks top those of CEOs to give residents world-beating education
- S Korea and Japan: team works and nationalism
- USA: venture capitalism, migrants, and world-class universities
- Israel: “I must win”
- Germany: Discipline, system specialist
Of course, these are debatable criteria. What is undeniable is that talent is associated with wealth. In fact, talent as a definition started off as a “unit of weight and currency” in the Biblical time and over time, evolved into personal abilities.
In the IMD rankings, it’s no surprise that Swiss became on top of the list dominated by small countries and city states.
IMD evaluates the talent prowess of 67 economies worldwide using three chief factors: investment and development; appeal, and readiness; and metrics such as labor force growth, quality of available skills, and effectiveness of the education system.
IMD’s World Talent Ranking 2024
1. Switzerland
2. Singapore
3. Luxembourg
4. Sweden
5. Denmark
6. Iceland
7. Norway
8. Netherlands
9. Hong Kong SAR
10. Austria
11. Ireland
12. Belgium
13. Finland
14. Australia
15. Germany
16. Israel
17. UAE
18. Taiwan
19. Canada
20. Estonia
21. USA
26. S Korea
31. Kuwait
32. Saudi Arabia
33. Malaysia
38. China
43. Japan
46. Indonesia
47. Thailand
