Hidden Potential by Adam Grant: A Book Review

Book: Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things

Author: Adam Grant


Start before you're ready. 

Embrace discomfort and make mistakes, even have a budget for making mistakes. The Hidden Potential is all about persistent action, and building skills of character. We can achieve great things, only by jumping into it, learning, practicing skills, building, and not by waiting for the right time to do it or when you're ready.

Kill perfectionism and do not fall into the perfectionism spiral in your life. 

Learn the wabi-sabi way of life and change your perspectives. Take breaks as investments in your life, without any guilt and see them as opportunities to recover and restart. Breaks can be great investments. Be absolutely proactive about recovery and avoid burnout.

Turn practice into play. 

Experiment with routines and don't have fixated ideas of work or getting work done. Be a sponge, absorb all you can in terms of new ideas, advice, trends, and learn on the way, adjusting your sails. Be the coach you need to or want to have.

Teach more to learn more. 

Learn how to build teams, work with them and the get the best results from brainwriting over brainstorming. Some interesting perspectives on identifying good talent in job interviews. Evaluate career trajectories, notice upwards slopes which are a sign of overcoming adversity, ability to change, and leadership skills. Do not limit your evaluation to degrees, competencies and recent work.

Here's an excerpt from the book.

Redefine success. "The most meaningful form of performance is progress. The ultimate mark of potential is not the height of the peak you've reached, but the distance you've travelled - and helped others travel.”

For me the greatest takeaway from the book is "start before you're ready". 

Ready to uncover your hidden potential?

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