How to Spot Exceptional Talent Before Everyone Else

The gist

1. Granular relationship context matters more than a simple connection; knowing someone worked with you in a crisis is far more useful than a party introduction.
2. Publicly endorsing people you believe in early builds your own reputation, since talent tends to remember and reward those who backed them first.
3. Private mutual signaling lets both sides express interest in hiring, funding, or meeting without the awkwardness or risk of a cold approach.
4. Engineers, designers, and other operators rarely get public credit, so structured endorsements can surface their work to people actively searching for specific skills.