Leadership Lunch and Learn Book Review: Hidden Potential Reviewed by Kristi Carpenter

by Lisa Davis - June 6, 2024

The May Leadership Lunch and Learn focused on “Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things” by Adam Grant, reviewed by Kristi Carpenter, an extension staff and organizational development specialist at the University of Georgia.

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Carpenter said the book illustrates that potential is not about where you start but about how far you travel. This journey often requires starting tasks before feeling fully ready and embracing discomfort as a catalyst for growth.

Character vs. Cognitive Skills

In the book, the author talks about building skills of character and the difference between character skills versus cognitive skills. Character has such an important role in reaching our hidden potential. Our character skills are what separate us from machines.

Grant shares several stories about how success was driven by developing character skills, rather than cognitive skills. For example, a team of social scientists launched an experiment to test that hypothesis. They recruited 1,500 entrepreneurs from western Africa—a mix of women and men who were running small businesses. In cognitive skills training, the founders took an accredited business course. They studied finance, accounting, HR, marketing, and pricing, and practiced using what they learned to solve challenges and seize opportunities. In character skills training, the founders attended a class designed to teach personal initiative. They studied proactivity, discipline, and determination, and practiced putting those qualities into action. Character skills training had a dramatic impact. After the founders had spent merely five days working on these skills, their firms’ profits grew by an average of 30 percent over the next two years. That was nearly triple the benefit of training in cognitive skills.

Embrace Discomfort and Start Before You Feel Ready

For leaders, embracing discomfort translates into the courage to embark on new projects, initiatives, or strategies even before feeling fully prepared. Encouraging a culture where taking initiative and stepping out of comfort zones is valued can foster a progressive work environment. This approach also includes being open to learning new things or adopting unfamiliar strategies that might be more effective for current challenges. In one experiment, psychologists Kaitlin Woolley and Ayelet Fishbach studied hundreds of people taking improv comedy classes and randomly assigned them to focus on different goals. The ones who persisted the longest—and took the most creative risks—weren’t the ones who were encouraged to focus on learning. They were the ones who had been advised to intentionally pursue discomfort. “Your goal is to feel awkward and uncomfortable … it’s a sign the exercise is working,” the instructions said. Once people saw discomfort as a mark of growth, they were motivated to stretch beyond their comfort zones.

Foster a Humble Learning Environment

The book also focuses on humility as a strength, especially in recognizing your limitations and being open to learning from others. In a business context, this translates to creating an environment where feedback is not just accepted but actively sought. Leaders should encourage their teams to admit mistakes, be open to new ideas, and focus on collective growth. By doing so, they can create a more collaborative and innovative workplace.

Carpenter shared, “It's not where you start but how far you go. You can’t change your DNA. You can have control of how you strengthen your mind.”

The Leadership Lunch and Learn Book Review series features leadership experts from across the south. Each presenter reviews a leadership development book. The series gives you the opportunity to hear the cliff notes version of many popular leadership development books. Join us for future book reviews.