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Talent requires sacrifice, honing skills, making decision that favor evolution rather than other domains. In a constrained world, always making the decision that furthers skills requires passion.

Therefore acquiring talent in a field requires genuine passion.

In the field of engineering, I see that the most talented engineers are also the one with a true passion for the technology ; for whom learning new technologies and new practices is not a hassle but a hobby, who will run their own projects on the side, and figure out new things. They are very proactive in their discovery, and exhibit a general knowledge that goes much further than what their job entails.

Others usually see this as a job, want to consume learning rather than pursue it, and for them the "passion for learning" is more faked. Behind closed doors they'll admit that they'd much rather do something else, but what? It is not their fault that their interest lies somewhere else, but unfortunately the raw yield is that they usually exhibit less drive and curiosity.

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In Interviewing - Making Great Hiring Decisions, one should try to identify that an individual is driven by passion.

In career management, find a career path that aligns with a passion.

When choosing between improving your strengths or your weaknesses, choosing strengths will work better, since you'll have the drive to learn.