Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things

Adam Grant writes about organizational psychology and seeks and interprets natural and laboratory evidence to unlock new ways of understanding the human condition. His books are optimistic and encourage new ways of being hopeful as we navigate a complex and evolving world.

His latest contribution, Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things, is divided in three sections, discussing character skills, creating structures to sustain motivation, and building systems to expand opportunity for everyone – not just for the privileged.

Regarding character, Grant states that character is often confused with personality and while they are related, one can view personality as our predisposition (how we think, feel and act instinctively), while character is our capacity to prioritize our values over our instincts. Character allows one to transcend one’s personality traits.

Our growth is often limited because we seek a comfort zone – we limit ourselves to things we are good at and thereby avoid the discomfort of failure. The most growth occurs when we leave that comfort zone, seeking new knowledge and skills. Seeking advice (instead of feedback) is helpful. It’s important to be aware of the critics who see our weaknesses and attack our worst selves and cheerleaders who see our strength and celebrate our best selves. While both have their place, what helps most is the coach who sees our potential and helps us become a better version of ourselves.

We are also limited by ever-increasing perfectionism – the zero tolerance for error may trap us in the realm of the straightforward and the familiar. The real world is far more ambiguous and being driven to find “correct” answers can be a futile exercise. The quest for flawless results can lead us to simply refine our existing skill set (solving tiny problems of dubious value) rather than seeking new knowledge. Perfectionism traps us in a spiral of tunnel vision and error avoidance.

Grant takes on the dangers of monotonous deliberate practice (think musicians and athletes) and coins the term “boreout” to distinguish this from “burnout.” Sports psychologists incorporate play in practice by developing varying routines, thereby reducing the risk of boreout and burnout. Brandon Payne used this technique on Steph Curry, taking him from ordinary to extraordinary. Grant asks us to design better systems to reach those who did not have privilege at the start – the late bloomers, the long shots, the ones who travelled a greater distance to get to where they are now. He explores compelling evidence from the school system in Finland – where all students (not just the talented and gifted) get great teachers and individualized relationships. Finnish students are now outscoring many countries in the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment).

Describing the ingenious rescue of the Chilean miners in 2010, Grant takes a foray in the concept of collective intelligence and how this intersects in teams and in company hierarchy. He bemoans meetings where loud and dominating voices can squelch great ideas and how leadership styles can prevent great ideas from being even considered. Weak leaders silence voice and shoot the messenger. Strong leaders welcome voice and thank the messenger. Great leaders build systems to amplify voice and elevate the messenger.

Grant ends by discussing the near impossible task of discovering hidden talent, the diamonds in the rough. We rely on metrics like GPA, SAT, USMLE etc., all of which will miss those individuals who travelled a much greater distance, started from a lower point but are brimming with potential.

 —Salahuddin “Dino” Kazi, M.D.