Do competitions really find the best talent?

just take a look at "Star search" - a talent competition between 83' 95' whose sole purpose was to find the best talent around the nation and help them achieve stardom.

but wait, it gets better - most of the individuals who won at the competition turned out to be a bunch of "nobodies". Not saying that the competition was a waste of time, rather that it overlooked the individuals who have had the biggest impact in the entertainment industry - it did the complete opposite of what it was meant to do.

ABC News 20/20 published a great article cover this exact flawed perception, here is the link: www.abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=123814&page=1

What's the point? Personally, I think competitions are sometimes overrated and can overlook some important factors - long term factors. And it also goes to show the flaws that other people have by judging other people, and the inability for them to find true talent.

The same thing can be said about business competitions. Don't get me wrong - business competitions are good as the allow individuals to flex their muscle, but let's not forget that it is all theoretical and it looks good on paper -- it's all about execution from there.

Much like the winners of Star Search looked good performing on stage at that time, and did nothing to execute their talent in the long run - business and industries alike are weighed mostly by the success of that talent.

Sure, there will be success - but think about it: all the individuals who have had the most impact on this earth did it on their own terms, not on anyone else's.

Take a look at today's most successful individuals: Justin Bieber (who loaded his YouTube Videos on his own), Mark Zuckerberg (who dropped out of college and went against all odds), and all those celebrities who failed on Star Search (Justin Timberlake, Brittney Spears, and Usher *among others) -- a lesson can be learned here...

...it's not always what other people say or how they judge - rather, who much you want your dreams and goals and how convinced you are that you will achieve them. Then, it becomes a challenge to see them fruitate.

Joel A. Montilla