Hidden Potential
by Adam Grant
Grant argues that character skills, proactivity, discipline, determination, matter more than innate talent, and that the right scaffolding, teachers, systems and sponsors, lets ordinary people achieve extraordinary growth. The stories, from chess prodigies to Finnish schools, are well told, and the book is more optimistic than most on the subject.
Read it if…
you believe you missed your window and want evidence that growth is still available.
Skip it if…
you want a personal program; the book is about principles and systems more than steps.
Three things you will actually use
- Get comfortable being bad at new things.
- Seek discomfort on purpose; it is where growth lives.
- Ask for advice, not feedback.
Do this first
Identify one skill you have avoided because you think you lack talent, and take a beginner's step this week.
Our verdict
Hopeful and well-researched; a good antidote to talent myths.
Compare with other Mindset books
Think Again
Adam Grant · Mindset
Smart, warm and overlong; a healthy book for the certain.
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The Alchemist
Paulo Coelho · Mindset
A beloved fable; nourishing or sweet depending on your appetite.
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The Happiness Advantage
Shawn Achor · Mindset
Cheerful and practical; a good introduction to positive psychology.
CLICK TO SEEBrowse all Mindset book reviews or get the free Reality Code Cheat Sheet.
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