Hidden Potential
Author: Adam Grant
A framework for unlocking growth by focusing on character skills rather than raw talent. Grant argues that potential is not about where you start, but about the distance you travel.
Why This Book Matters to Me
Grant’s distinction between ambition and aspiration resonated deeply. In the startup world, it’s easy to get obsessed with metrics, funding rounds, and exits—the outcomes. This book reframed growth for me:
- Ambition vs. Aspiration: How do you focus on who you’re becoming rather than just what you’re achieving?
- Harmonious Passion: How do you take joy in process rather than feeling pressure from outcomes?
- Scaffolding: What support structures enable you to reach heights you couldn’t reach alone?
The idea of becoming a “creature of discomfort” is something I’m actively working to cultivate.
Core Definitions
Ambition is the outcome you want to attain. Aspiration is the person you hope to become.
Character is your capacity to prioritize your values over your instincts. (Not the same as personality, which is your predisposition.)
Absorptive capacity is the ability to recognize, value, assimilate, and apply new information.
Harmonious passion is taking joy in a process rather than feeling pressure to achieve an outcome.
On Embracing Discomfort
It takes three kinds of courage: to abandon your tried-and-true methods, to put yourself in the ring before you feel ready, and to make more mistakes than others make attempts.
“The best way to accelerate growth is to embrace, seek, and amplify discomfort.”
“Your goal is to feel awkward and uncomfortable… it’s a sign the exercise is working.”
Procrastination is not a time management problem—it’s an emotion management problem. When you procrastinate, you’re not avoiding effort. You’re avoiding the unpleasant feelings that the activity stirs up.
On Being a Sponge
Being a sponge is more than a metaphor. It’s a character skill—a form of proactivity that’s vital to realizing hidden potential.
“Improving depends not on the quantity of information you seek out, but the quality of the information you take in. Growth is less about how hard you work than how well you learn.”
Absorptive capacity hinges on two habits: how you acquire information (reactive vs. proactive) and what goal you’re pursuing when you filter it (feeding ego vs. fueling growth).
On Perfectionism
In their quest for flawless results, 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
“Extensive evidence shows that it’s having high personal standards, not pursuing perfection, that fuels growth.”
The antidote is wabi sabi—the discipline to shift your attention from impossible ideals to achievable standards.
A simple daily check: Did you make yourself better today? Did you make someone else better today? If yes to either, it was a good day.
On Deliberate Play
We’re often told that developing skills requires long hours of monotonous practice. But 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.
“It’s not a coincidence that in music, the term for practice is play.”
Elite musicians are rarely driven by obsessive compulsion. They’re usually fueled by harmonious passion. The people with the most discipline actually use the least amount of it—they change the situation to make it less strenuous.
On Plateaus and Progress
“A rut is not a sign that you’ve tanked. A plateau is not a cue that you’ve peaked. They’re signals that it may be time to turn around and find a new route.”
Progress rarely happens in a straight line; it typically unfolds in loops. The strongest known force in daily motivation is a sense of progress. Sometimes you can build momentum by taking a detour to a new destination.
On External Expectations
There are times when you can turn others’ low expectations to your advantage. They don’t have to strap you in place—you can grab on to them and pull yourself forward.
“The desire to prove others wrong can light a spark of motivation. Turning the spark into a flame, though, often requires more. Ignorant naysayers may give us something to fight against, but a roaring fire comes from having something to fight for.”
The Bottom Line
Success is not how close you come to perfection—it’s how much you overcome along the way. Growth mindset alone does little good without scaffolding to support it. Beating yourself up doesn’t make you stronger—it leaves you bruised. We grow by embracing our shortcomings, not by punishing them.