Luck, Coincidence, or Talent? How to Tell What You’re Actually Good At With Jeff Matlow

Expertise Made Real · Nov 5, 2026 · 15m · transcript

In this episode of Expertise Made Real, Kristin N. Spencer is back with Jeff Matlow, Leadership Whisperer and Chief Pattern Spotter at The Best Leadership Company, to talk about the expertise hiding in people who don’t see it in themselves.

Jeff builds his work on his own failures, including a stretch as a founder who expected his employees to read his mind. When he coaches someone, he looks at whether they handle things the way he eventually learned to or the way he got it wrong. He shares an example from a client’s one-on-ones, where the first 15 minutes go to career goals and challenges…