It was one of my “learning partners” who gave me a gift after his successful completion of the MBA at the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM). That is how I came across the “Hidden Potential,” a best-selling book by one of my favourite management authors, Prof. Adam Grant.
It resonates well with the solutions we seek to untap the potential of Sri Lankan student community through proposed education reforms. Today’s column reflects on the essence of “Hidden Potential.” The term potential essentially refers to the capabilities or capacities that are yet to be discovered and developed.
It also means the latent qualities that can be utilised for future success. The challenge is tapping the potential or unleashing of it. This is where Adam Grant becomes versatile.
The book illuminates how we can elevate ourselves and others to unexpected heights through practically possible means. “We live in a world that’s obsessed with talent,” says Adam. “We celebrate gifted students in school, natural athletes in sports, and child prodigies in music.
But admiring people who start out with innate advantages leads us to overlook the distance we ourselves can travel. We underestimate the range of skills that we can learn and how good we can become. We can all improve at improving.
And when opportunity does not knock, there are ways to build a door.” The way Adam presents, the Hidden Potential offers a new framework for raising aspirations and exceeding expectations. .
