By: Allison McCarthy, MBA | amccarthy@barlowmccarthy.com
I love books – especially those that provide illuminating nuggets. “Hidden Potential” by Adam Grant offers many enlightening ideas on maximizing one’s capabilities. It is now one of my favorite professional development books. I wish I had had this resource when I was an up-and-coming leader – to understand the best ways to learn how to be the best leader possible.
This article offers just a snippet of what the book has to offer. There is much more to call out. So, I will use future articles to elaborate on the key points Grant offers. In the meantime, here are some highlights:
Grant’s central theme is that character gives us the power to guide decisions and actions. Our character supersedes our natural instincts – how we think, feel, and behave – especially when we’re under pressure. Character is who we decide to become, how we choose to conduct ourselves. Think of the ability to say “no.” For many of us, there is a tendency to say “yes” when we really want to say “no.” We do this to please others, give in to our ego, or for other reasons. With character as the driving force, we say “no” because we have other priorities and obligations to fulfill, or it doesn’t fit our vision and values. We make it a deliberate choice versus a habitual response.
Character is also the resource that enables us to honestly assess current strengths and decide which skill muscle(s) to advance to achieve true potential. Grant offers several approaches for developing character:
- Embrace discomfort by making mistakes – mistakes help to accelerate growth and development.
- Accept imperfection – as perfection is only practical when things are straightforward. Research shows that perfectionists have no advantage in skills acquisition and mastery.
- Deliberately play – which is somewhere in between consciously practicing a skill and free play. Using humor and play in the workplace leads to the faster adoption of new skills.
- Turn your thinking upside down about stagnation – it’s just lost momentum. Use new resources (books, videos, mentors, coaches), projects, or roles/responsibilities to give you the push needed to achieve another level of skill mastery.
Leadership is a continuous journey of building skills, where each new challenge presents an opportunity for growth. Developing our character to support learning, becoming comfortable with vulnerability, and pushing through weaknesses are crucial steps in this process. By identifying the resources that facilitate our learning and finding ways to practice new skills until they become natural, we make the learning process engaging and enjoyable, ultimately leading to personal and professional growth.