Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things

by Adam M. Grant

Building schools where students achieve greater things isn’t about focusing on a select few and pushing them to excel. It’s about fostering a culture that allows all students to grow intellectually and thrive emotionally.

In a meta-analysis of 22 studies, Anita and her colleagues discovered that collective intelligence depends less on people’s cognitive skills than their prosocial skills.

The best teams have the most team players—people who excel at collaborating with others.

It’s about figuring out what the group needs and enlisting everyone’s contribution.

When they have prosocial skills, team members are able to bring out the best in one another.

Prosocial skills are the glue that transforms groups into teams.

In a meta-analysis, highly narcissistic people were more likely to rise into leadership roles, but they were less effective in those roles.[*]

They know that the goal isn’t to be the smartest person in the room; it’s to make the entire room smarter.

We don’t normally think of listening skills as vital to leadership. Around the world, great leaders are stereotyped as outgoing and assertive. In the United States, the vast majority of

leaders and managers score above the midpoint on extraversion.

What made for effective leadership depended on how proactive a team was.

Extensive evidence shows that when we generate ideas together, we fail to maximize collective intelligence.

To unearth the hidden potential in teams, instead of brainstorming, we’re better off shifting to a process called brainwriting.

The initial steps are solo. You start by asking

everyone to generate ideas separately. Next, you pool them and share them anon...

To preserve independent judgment, each member evaluates them on their own. Only then does the team come together to select an...

The brainwriting process makes sure that all ideas are brought to the table and all voices are brought into the conversation.

Collective intelligence begins with individual creativity. But it doesn’t end there. Individuals produce a greater volume and variety of novel ideas when they work alone.

That means that they come

up with more brilliant ideas than groups—but also more terrible ideas than groups. It takes collective judgment ...

Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles . . . overcome while trying to succeed.

—Booker T. Washington

When we confuse past performance with future potential, we miss out on people whose achievements have involved overcoming major obstacles.

The key question is not how long people have done a job. It’s how well they can learn to do a job.

It’s often said that talent sets the floor, but character sets the ceiling.

Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. —Langston Hughes

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...

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 accomplishment than unleashing our hidden potential.

Unleash hidden potential through character skills. The people who grow the most aren’t the smartest people in the room. They’re the ones who strive to make themselves and others smarter.

Don’t be afraid to try a new style.

Reading and writing are usually best for critical thinking. Listening is ideal for understanding emotions, and doing is better for remembering information.

Use it or never gain it at all. Put yourself in the ring before you feel ready. You don’t need to get comfortable before you can practice your skills—your comfort grows as you practice your skills. As

Seek discomfort. Instead of just striving to learn, aim to feel uncomfortable.

If you want to get it right, it has to first feel wrong.

Set a mistake budget. To encourage trial and error, set a goal for the minimum number of mistakes you want to make per day or per week. When you expect to stumble,...

Increase your absorptive capacity. Seek out new knowledge, skills, and perspectives to fuel your growth—not feed your ego.

Progress hinges on the

quality of the information you take in, not on the quantity of info...

Ask for advice, not feedback. Feedback is backward-looking—it leads people to criticize you or cheer for you. Advice is forward-looking—it leads people to coach you. You can get your critics and cheerleaders to act more like coaches by asking...

Figure out which sources to trust. Decide what information is worth absorbing—and whi...

Be the coach you hope to have. Demonstrate that honesty is the highest expression of loyalty. Model effective coaching by being forthcoming in what you say and respectful in how you say it. Show people how easy it is to hear a hard truth from someone who believes in their potential and cares about their success.

Strive for excellence, not perfection. Progress comes

from maintaining high standards, not eliminating every flaw.

Practice wabi sabi, the art of honoring beauty in imperfection, by identifying some shortcomings that you can accept. Consider where you truly need the best and where you can settle for good enough. Mark your growth with Eric Best’s questions: Did you ...

Enlist judges to gauge your p...

Be your own last judge. It’s better to disappoint others than to disappoint yourself.

Engage in mental time travel. When you’re struggling to appreciate your progress, consider how your past self would view your current achievements.

Look outward for the right support at the right time. Every challenge requires its own support.