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What is the cost of unrealized human potential? We see a large pool of people, both educated and self-taught, who remain unemployed or under-employed, and a truly vast sea of people whose opportunities were lost long before they entered the workforce. There is a cost, and it’s not just personal. It is real dollars coming out of everyone’s pockets.

In an era of innovation and entrepreneurism, the contribution of every individual - smarts, creativity, ingenuity, passion - fuels the greater whole. What we are learning as an “Innovation Economy” is how to identify, embrace and nurture the individual spirit and its role in that economy - which is very different from economies of the past where control and conformity were the norm.

The talk will explore findings on the costs of unrealized human potential as well as some exciting initiatives in the works. We will share our research indicating that the hints to individual potential are discoverable in new ways.