This is an astute observation.
The world leaders during WW2 recognized this - basically, when critical work needed to be done, they knew whom they needed and roped in a large number of the leading "dreamers/thinkers" of the time to work on the Manhattan Project.
The thing that saddens me is that it is often conflict and animosity that awaken this recognition - other examples include the Cold War, artillery calculations in WW1, etc.