Culture of Genius: Talent Mindset & Belonging Audit

Thanks for taking this on. We're studying how 'talent' and 'brilliance' get talked about and rewarded here, and how that affects people day to day. There are no right answers — honest reactions are what help. About 6-7 minutes.

How much do you agree with each statement about how success and ability are viewed in your organization or field?

How comfortable do you feel admitting you don't know something in front of your colleagues?

In the last 3 months, how often have you held back from asking a question or admitting confusion for fear of looking less capable?

• Never
• Rarely
• Sometimes
• Often
• Very often

Thinking about how people actually get recognized and rewarded here (not how it's supposed to work), which of these are most and least rewarded?

• Demonstrating quick, confident answers under pressure
• Having an impressive academic or professional pedigree
• Working long hours or visibly grinding
• Collaborating and sharing credit with others
• Asking clarifying questions before acting
• Admitting mistakes and learning from them
• Persisting through repeated failure
• Mentoring or developing junior colleagues

Regardless of your background, how much do you feel you truly belong in this environment?

Have you seen someone's ability questioned based on assumptions about who is 'naturally talented' (e.g., tied to their gender, race, age, or background)?

• Yes, frequently
• Yes, occasionally
• No, never
• Unsure
• Prefer not to say

Overall, how does your organization or field balance valuing innate talent versus valuing effort and growth?

Reconstruct one specific, recent moment the respondent held back a question, hid a mistake, or witnessed someone's ability questioned along identity lines — get the concrete situation, who was involved, what they were afraid would happen, and what they did instead. Anchor on their answer to how often they hold back and whether they've witnessed talent-based bias. If they say they've never held back or never witnessed anything, probe what specifically makes this environment feel safe, and whether that safety is equally true for people less senior or less similar to the dominant group.

Almost done — just a couple of quick background questions to help us break down the results. Feel free to skip any of them.

Which best describes your role?

• Individual contributor
• Team lead / manager
• Senior leadership / faculty
• Student / trainee
• Prefer not to say

Do you identify with a group that is underrepresented in your field (e.g., by gender, race/ethnicity, disability, or first-generation status)?

• Yes
• No
• Prefer not to say

Thank you for the honest answers. These responses feed directly into a report on where talk of 'brilliance' is helping performance versus quietly pushing people out — your specific story will be shared anonymously alongside the patterns we find.