The following are my favorite quotes from Adam Grant's Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things:
- It's often said that where there's a will, there's a way. What we overlook is that when people can't see a path, they stop dreaming of the destination.
- The true measure of your potential is not the height of the peak you've reached, but how far you've climbed to get there.
- Character is often confused with personality, but they're not the same. Personality is your predisposition--your basic instincts for how to think, feel, and act. Character is your capacity to prioritize your values over your instincts.
- Procrastination is a common problem whenever you're pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone.
- You can't be ready for anything if you haven't trained for everything.
- It's easy for people to be critics or cheerleaders. It's harder to get them to be coaches. A critic sees your weaknesses and attacks your worst self. A cheerleader sees your strengths and celebrates your best self. A coach sees your potential and helps you become a better version of yourself.
- Being a sponge is not only a proactive skill--it's a prosocial skill. Done right, it's not just about soaking up nutrients that help us grow. It's also about releasing nutrients to help others grow.
- In their quest for flawless results, research suggests that perfectionists tend to get three things wrong.
- They obsess about details that don't matter.
- They avoid unfamiliar situations and difficult tasks that might lead to failure.
- They berate themselves for making mistakes, which makes it harder to learn from them.
- Before releasing something into the world, it's worth turning to one final judge: you. If this was the only work people saw of yours, would you be proud of it?
- The best way to unlock hidden potential isn't to suffer through the daily grind. It's to transform the daily grind into a source of daily joy.
- By fueling harmonious passion, deliberate play can prevent boreout and burnout.
- The person you're competing with is your past self, and the bar you're raising is for your future self. You're not aiming for perfect--you're shooting for better. The only way to win is to grow.
- Of all the factors that have been studied, the strongest known force in daily motivation is a sense of progress.
- What looks like a big breakthrough is usually the accumulation of small wins.
- We should listen to the advice we give to others--it's usually the advice we need to take for ourselves.
- It's more important to be good ancestors than dutiful descendants. Too many people spend their lives being custodians of the past instead of stewards of the future. We worry about making our parents proud when we should be focused on making our children proud. The responsibility of each generation is not to please our predecessors--it's to improve conditions for our successors.
- Extensive evidence shows that the wellspring of intrinsic motivation is having the freedom of opportunity to explore our interests.
- Research shows that groups promote the people who command the most airtime--regardless of their aptitude and expertise. We mistake confidence for competence, certainty for credibility, and quantity for quality. We get stuck following people who dominate the discussion instead of those who elevate it.
- 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.
- 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.
- Imposter 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 what what I'm doing yet. It's only a matter of time until I figure it out."
- 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.
