Menlo Book Club: Hidden Potential

According to Adam Grant, “Everyone has hidden potential.” Our team recently finished his book on the topic, and we found the concepts in Hidden Potential resonated deeply with our values and wanted to share our greatest takeaways.

Character Matters

The author asserts that character skills are the keys to success and that it’s never too late to start developing them. Growth should be measured by how much we learn. As we are improving, we will make mistakes, so it’s important to overcome perfectionist tendencies, get comfortable with being uncomfortable, and understand that progress takes time.

In the book, Grant uses the example of learning a language; people who aren’t afraid to make mistakes tend to become fluent more quickly than others. At Menlo Group, we strive to hire and retain employees who emulate our core values; as we build our team, character is a much more important factor to us than skill sets.

Mindset Matters

One of the central themes of Hidden Potential is the importance of adopting a growth mindset, which is a topic we’ve enjoyed reading about before. Grant emphasizes that talent is not fixed but can be developed through effort, learning and perseverance. This philosophy aligns perfectly with Menlo Group’s commitment to continual improvement and professional development. We strive to create an environment that encourages personal growth; our book club is just one example of how we do this.

To reach our potential, our team discussed the importance of overcoming imposter syndrome. When we don’t feel good enough, we are likely underestimating ourselves and not seeing our potential. We will all face daunting tasks throughout our lives, and we should view roadblocks as challenges to be overcome.

Support Matters

People too often strive to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, but we can reach greater heights when we rely on other people. The author told the story of the 33 men who were trapped in a Chilean mine for almost 70 days. Those leading the rescue effort solicited ideas from all around the world to determine the best solution. Groups, like individuals, have hidden potential, and good leaders know how to harness the abilities of all group members.

At Menlo Group, we strive to have productive meetings where all team members can present issues, ideas or opportunities and get input from the group. As a company, we strive to make sure every voice is heard.

Our team thoroughly enjoyed Hidden Potential by Adam Grant and hope to continue to focus on learning and growing our characters. To see what else we’ve been reading, check out our blog or follow us on Instagram.