Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things

by Adam M. Grant

We penalize people who rise after rocky starts when we should be rewarding them for the distance they’ve traveled.

It’s time for universities and employers to add another metric. Along with GPA, I think they should be assessing GPT: grade point trajectory.

Extensive evidence has identified a social class achievement gap: first-generation college students tend to underperform academically due to a series of invisible disadvantages. The expectation to pave their own paths discourages them from seeking help. The pressure to pay their own way, the presence of self-doubt, and the absence of belonging all interfere with their ability to focus.

When people face major setbacks, the slopes they have to climb get steeper, and maintaining steady performance can be an achievement in itself.

Instead of looking at past experience or past performance, we should find out what they’ve learned and how well they can learn.

job interviews put people with disabilities at a disadvantage. A typical interview is set up like an interrogation.

The stress created in interviews prevents us from seeing people’s full potential. That stress tends to be especially pronounced for people who have been underestimated in the past. Just knowing that there’s a stereotype about your group is enough to undermine your performance under pressure.

In the science of interviewing, there’s a name for these kinds of demonstrations. They’re called work samples. A work sample is a snapshot of an applicant’s skills. Sometimes you can provide one by submitting a portfolio of your past work.

A powerful alternative is to create real-time work samples: give everyone the same problem to solve in the present. There’s a wealth of evidence that these kinds of live work samples can fill gaps in interviews by illuminating candidates’ capabilities. Instead of relying solely on what people say, you get to observe what they can do—which applicants appreciate.

Collecting work samples takes time. But many work samples can now be gathered online—it’s easier than ever to create digital problem-solving tasks.

Skills are best gauged by what people can do, not what they say or what they’ve done before. Instead of trying to trip people up, we should give them the chance to put their best foot forward. How they respond in a do-over is a more meaningful window into their character than how they handle the first try.

“Let NASA be the one to disqualify you,” she urged. “Don’t disqualify yourself.”

The experience taught him a lesson: “There is more than one star in the sky and more than one goal and purpose in life.”

He had to break the mold to make it through a broken system. He’s the exception, but he should be the rule.

When we evaluate people, there’s nothing more rewarding than finding a diamond in the rough. Our job isn’t to apply the pressure that brings out their brilliance. It’s to make sure we don’t overlook those who have already faced that pressure—and recognize their potential to shine.

Young people with grander dreams went further in school and climbed higher at work. Even after accounting for a host of other factors—their cognitive skills, character skills, family income, and parents’ education, occupations, and aspirations—their own dreams made a unique contribution to how they progressed and who they became.

Impostor syndrome says, “I don’t know what I’m doing. It’s only a matter of time until everyone finds out.” Growth mindset says, “I don’t know what I’m doing yet. It’s only a matter of time until I figure it out.” Scaffolding gives you the support you need to figure it out.

It feels like other people are overestimating you, but it’s more likely that you’re underestimating yourself. They’ve recognized a capacity for growth that you can’t see yet. When multiple people believe in you, it might be time to believe them.

Many people dream of achieving goals. They measure their progress by the status they acquire and the accolades they collect. But the gains that count the most are the hardest to count. The most meaningful growth is not building our careers—it’s building our character.

Success is more than reaching our goals—it’s living our values. There’s no higher value than aspiring to be better tomorrow than we are today. There’s no greater accomp...