From Grassroots Development to the C-Level

Everyone applauds Endrick on the national team. But few want to invest in the youth academy to develop young talent. This holds true in football. And it holds true in business.

165 goals in 169 youth matches, years of training on dusty pitches, overcrowded buses, tight cleats, financial hardship. Only then did he move up to the senior squad, score 21 goals, and get sold to Real Madrid.

Recently, Roberto Carlos and Ronaldo Fenômeno confirmed their purchase of Inter de Limeira. The plan? Exactly that: develop and discover talent from the ground up. A genuine investment in the next generation.

Your company is no different. You want the ready-made executive, a Vini Jr. already polished by Real Madrid. But you don't have the courage to develop talent in the futsal courts.

Raphinha didn't become a star in Europe. He became one in Restinga, playing futsal at Vila do João in Porto Alegre, where the court is small and you have to make decisions in half a second. Where in your company do people learn to decide quickly? Or do you throw young talent straight onto the big pitch and hope for the best?

Bruno Guimarães wasn't developed at Real Madrid. He came through Audax. Alisson spent 10 years at Inter. Paquetá spent 10 years at Flamengo.

Does your company have an Audax? Do you have 10 years of patience? Or are you in such a hurry to hire someone ready-made that you pay three times more, complain about poor cultural fit, and let them go within six months?

Assembling a group of ready-made talents on the same team doesn't make them a national squad. The Brazilian team proved that in the last few World Cups.

A team needs the familiarity to combine passes and a shared sense of purpose. That isn't built in six months. It comes from the ground up, from the slow construction of leadership, where there is room to grow and joy in working together — celebrating achievements and recognizing collective effort.

I had the privilege of working for 20 years at a company that invests in developing its own talent pipeline. As managers, we always valued development programs: internships, trainee programs, and apprenticeships. All of these programs served as breeding grounds for new talent and the next generation of leaders.

The honest question is: Where is your company's training ground? Who are you bringing in to practice at 6 a.m.? Who are the coaches willing to lead the team's development?

If the answer is no one, then stop complaining about a lack of talent in the market and blaming the problem on the new generation. The problem isn't the market. It's that you aren't investing time, dedication, and financial resources in building your own pipeline.