Book Summary | Hidden Potential (2023)

“​Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved. “— Helen Keller

Adam Grant's book Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things explores often overlooked potential and offers strategies for overcoming psychological, organizational, and structural barriers to uncovering it.

The noteworthy organization strategies include:

• Promoting a learning culture and growth mindset, considering people's challenging environments to accomplish tasks and the difficulty of the tests themselves when evaluating.
• Encouraging taking ownership and being proactive while embracing mistakes and new opportunities through a safe environment.​

To evaluate if a person has potential, we can assess his character in the following aspects.

• Proactive: How often did they take the initiative to ask questions, volunteer answers, seek information from books, and engage the teacher to learn outside class?
• Prosocial: How well did they get along and collaborate with peers? 
• Disciplined: How effectively did they pay attention—and resist the impulse to disrupt the class?
• Determined: How consistently did they take on challenging problems, do more than the assigned work, and persist in the face of obstacles?

​The person with potential is like a sponge, constantly absorbing knowledge and seeking opportunities to learn. Everyone has potential, but only those who are committed to learning and improving themselves will see results.