Hidden Potential by Adam Grant

I really enjoyed Hidden Potential by Adam Grant.

There’s so much fascinating, insightful, and often validating stuff, I almost don’t know where to start.

Some things that stuck with me though, in no particular order:

• Character traits that predict growth potential: being pro-active; pro-social; disciplined; determined. Develop these in yourself, and foster them in others.

• Be proactive: don’t wait for others; become a leader in your journey; experiment with new ideas and approaches.

• Be pro-social: work collaboratively, inspire collective efforts; build understanding of other people and yourself.

• Be disciplined: persist; stick to the plan despite challenges; don’t choose the easy path; endure discomfort for the sake of improvement; practice deliberately.

• Be determined: mistakes and setbacks are part of the process; the more effort you invest, the more you grow.

• Aspiration over ambition: Aspiration represents who you wish to become; Ambition is about your desired achievements.

• Discomfort is where growth happens: create opportunities to face it. Embrace imperfection and start before you have full understanding or skill mastery; this leads to faster improvement.

• The joy of learning: cultivating a love for learning fuels growth; discover and alternate between various learning methods to keep the process fun.

• Teaching to learn: reinforce your understanding, especially when grappling with difficult material; teaching is a highly effective learning tool.

• The curse of knowledge: It’s often easier to learn from someone only slightly ahead of you in experience; large knowledge or skill gaps require additional effort to bridge.

There’s also a wealth of information about fostering equitable education systems that offer increased opportunities for all, and unbiased hiring practices that consider the individual’s potential, rather than solely past success.