How are geniuses made—talent or training?

In the 1960s, the young psychologist László Polgár proposed a then radical thesis: geniuses are not born—they are made.

Until then, the prevailing belief was that people are born as geniuses.

But László Polgár disagreed. He believed that any child could become a genius if deliberately supported from an early age.

And he wanted to prove it—with his own children.

László Polgár chose a field that could be measured objectively. His choice fell on chess.

He then decided, together with his wife, that they would raise their three daughters to become chess masters.

To achieve this, László Polgár created the right environment at home. Their apartment was filled with shelves of chess books, and chessboards could be found in every room.

And they played chess for hours every day. At breakfast, they discussed famous chess games, and they constantly solved chess puzzles in a playful way. Despite the intensity of the training, László Polgár also emphasized the joy of the game.

The result?

The eldest daughter, Susan Polgar, became the first woman to earn the title of grandmaster. Fewer than 0.00002% of all chess players reach this level. From 1996 to 1999, she was also world champion.

The second daughter, Sofia Polgar, also achieved early success (including becoming U14 world champion), but later withdrew from competitive chess. She has since become very successful as an artist.

But it was the youngest daughter, Judit Polgar, who achieved the greatest success. At the age of 15, she became the youngest grandmaster of all time—at the time younger than the legendary Bobby Fischer—and went on to win multiple world titles. She is widely regarded as the greatest female chess player of all time.

So László Polgár was right.

He had proven that children could be “raised” into geniuses.

What does all of this have to do with leadership?

1) Environment beats talent: László Polgár showed that with the right culture—because that’s essentially what he created at home—any person can achieve world-class performance.

> We need to focus less on perfect skills and talent in companies—and instead create environments that enable real growth.

2) Deliberate practice: Polgar developed a targeted training plan and had his daughters constantly train at the edge of their abilities.

>People grow when they are “stretched,” i.e., challenged. Personal development does not happen in the comfort zone.

3) Meaning + passion: Polgar made sure that the joy of chess was never lost. Even if it sounds cliché, it was never just about winning, but about having fun. That’s why his daughters didn’t burn out.

> Purpose and joy are the foundation of high performance.

The story shows: excellence is not a product of chance. It is the result of culture, systematic learning, and a combination of joy and discipline.