숨겨진 잠재력 발휘하기: 아담 그랜트의 저서에서 얻은 인사이트

모든 사람의 내면에는 숨겨진 잠재력이 있으며, 도전과 개인적 성장을 통해 발현되기를 기다리고 있습니다.

### 숨겨진 잠재력 발휘하기: 아담 그랜트의 저서에서 얻은 인사이트
* 📚 아담 그랜트의 저서 '숨겨진 잠재력'은 **숨겨진 재능의 개념과 개인의 발전을 촉진하는 힘**을 탐구하며 타고난 능력에 대한 일반적인 가정에 도전합니다.
* 🎓 와튼 스쿨의 저명한 조직 심리학자인 그랜트는 음악가, 운동선수, 예술가를 대상으로 한 연구에서 보듯이 **특별한 재능은 타고난 천재성보다는 적절한 학습 환경의 결과**인 경우가 많다고 강조합니다.
* 🔍 테네시주 실험에 따르면 **유치원 시절 경험이 풍부한 교사에게 가르침**을 받은 학생들은 리더십과 자제력 같은 인성 특성이 오래 지속되어 향후 성공에 큰 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났습니다.
* 💪 노벨상 수상자인 제임스 헥크먼은 **인성은 성공에 필수적**이며 기회와 동기를 통해 개발할 수 있다고 말하며, 나이가 들수록 인성이 굳어진다는 신화를 깨뜨립니다.
* 🛠 코미디언 스티브 마틴이 끈질긴 노력과 실수로부터의 배움을 통해 실패에서 성공으로 나아간 여정에서 보듯이, **불편함을 받아들이는 것은 성장을 위한 필수 요소**입니다.
* 🌱 이 책은 잠재력은 태어날 때부터 고정되어 있는 것이 아니라 시간이 지나면서 개발할 수 있는 기술인 **주도성, 사교성, 자제력, 결단력 등**을 통해 길러질 수 있다고 주장합니다.
* 💡 그랜트의 연구에 따르면, 훈련 기간 동안 뛰어난 성과를 달성하기 위해 서로를 지원한 아프리카계 미국인 해군 장교들의 모임인 **골든 서틴의 사례**에서 알 수 있듯이 **협업과 다른 사람을 가르치는 것**이 학습을 향상시킬 수 있습니다.
* 🌟 궁극적으로 '숨겨진 잠재력'은 독자들이 자신의 능력을 되돌아보고 꾸준히 노력하도록 독려하며, **성공은 종종 도전을 극복하고 숨겨진 잠재력을 실현하려는 결단**에서 비롯된다는 사실을 일깨워줍니다.

Hello, everyone. Today, I will introduce the book Hidden Potential. Hidden Potential means hidden talent. The author is Adam Grant, a professor of organizational psychology at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is the youngest tenured professor, having received the highest teaching ratings for seven consecutive years. His books have sold millions of copies worldwide, his TED talks have garnered over 30 million views, and his podcast ranks among the most popular and is widely loved.

As an organizational psychologist, I have dedicated my life to studying the power that fosters progress. The facts I present may directly challenge the fundamental assumptions you hold about your own hidden potential. In a landmark study, psychologists investigated the sources of extraordinary talents possessed by musicians, artists, scientists, and athletes.

They conducted in-depth interviews with sculptors who received national art awards, world-renowned concert pianists, award-winning mathematicians, leading neuroscience researchers, Olympic swimmers, tennis players, and 120 others, including their parents, teachers, and coaches. Surprisingly, the number of prodigies among them was very small. A prominent psychologist concluded that if anyone in this world can learn, then almost everyone can learn, provided that the right learning conditions are created. We make a fatal error when assessing potential by focusing on the starting point, that is, the visible abilities we see right now. In a world obsessed with innate talent, it is assumed that the most promising individuals are those who stand out at first glance. However, the talents displayed by high achievers in their youth vary greatly. Predicting the outcome based on the starting point is...

It is not impossible. When given the right opportunities and motivation to learn, anyone can possess the ability to achieve great accomplishments. Potential is not the starting point; it is about how far one can go. While there are prodigies who appear like comets and sweep the world, like Mozart, there are many more who gradually rise, like the steady and enduring Bach. This is generally a product of one’s growth environment and upbringing. This book discusses aspiration rather than ambition. Ambition is the result you want to achieve; aspiration is who you want to become. Around the late 1980s, Tennessee embarked on a bold experiment. In 79 schools primarily attended by low-income children, more than 11,000 students were randomly assigned to different classes from kindergarten to third grade. The original purpose was to determine whether smaller class sizes lead to better learning outcomes. Both students and teachers were randomly assigned.

A prominent economist, Raj Chetty, who was assigned to a class, later analyzed the data to determine whether other characteristics of the class, aside from its size, made a difference. Chetty is considered one of the most influential economists in the world and is a recipient of the MacArthur Genius Grant. According to his research, excellence relies much less on innate talent than we tend to think. The Tennessee experiment yielded surprising results; it was found that simply knowing who a student's kindergarten teacher was could predict whether that student would be successful as an adult. Students taught by experienced kindergarten teachers earned significantly more money by the age of 25 compared to their peers. Most adults do not even remember their experiences at the age of five. What could be the reason that kindergarten teachers have an impact that lasts for many years? Chetty and his fellow researchers explored another...

The possible interpretation shifted focus to the additional qualities of fourth and eighth-grade students, for which teachers assigned scores. One example is as follows: Leadership—how often do students ask questions proactively and present ideas voluntarily? How frequently do they seek information from books and try to learn from teachers outside of class time? Affinity—how well do they interact and collaborate with their peers? Self-control—how well do they listen during class and suppress impulses to disrupt it? Determination—do they continuously challenge themselves with difficult problems and strive to learn beyond the assigned tasks? Do they show the will to persistently overcome obstacles when faced with difficulties? Students taught by experienced teachers in kindergarten scored significantly higher in all four of these qualities when they reached fourth grade. Qualities such as leadership, affinity, self-control, and determination are traits that students retain for a long time and ultimately have a much stronger impact than math and ability.

Most people view these behaviors as innate qualities, but in reality, they are learned in kindergarten. Character skills play a role that goes beyond helping individuals perform at their best; they elevate the level of top performance even further. James Heckman, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, concluded after reviewing research on character skills that they predict success in life and help realize that success. However, character skills are not created from nothing; they require opportunities and motivation. In the late 1800s, the founder of psychology, William James, made a bold claim: by the age of thirty, character hardens like plaster and never becomes malleable again. While James was a very wise individual, he was significantly mistaken in his assertions about character skills. Character does not harden like plaster.

does not maintain a soft quality. People often confuse character with personality; however, they are not the same. Personality is the quality or tendency you possess—it's the primal instinct of how you think, feel, and act. Character, on the other hand, is the ability to prioritize values over instincts. Just because you know the principles does not mean you know how to practice them, especially when you are under stress or pressure. It's easy to demonstrate leadership and resolve when everything is going well. The true test of character comes when circumstances separate you from your values; that's when the ability to uphold those values becomes crucial. Personality reflects how you typically react, while character shows how you respond in difficult times. Personality does not determine your fate; it is merely your tendency. Character skills allow you to transcend those tendencies and adhere to the principles you hold.

There is no reason not to cultivate character and skills right now, no matter where you are. People say that success and happiness are the most important goals in life, but I don't understand why character is not considered an important goal. There is increasing evidence that the decline in language learning ability around the age of 18 is not a biological characteristic of humans. The fact that multilingual speakers can acquire new languages even after becoming adults proves this. I was surprised to realize that they were able to learn foreign languages not because they overcame cognitive barriers, but because they removed emotional obstacles. They became comfortable with being in uncomfortable situations. By accepting discomfort, they unleash hidden potential in various forms of learning. Having the courage to face discomfort is character.

Skill requires three types of courage. Before feeling ready to fight and abandoning the other methods I've been using, I must prepare to make many more mistakes than others attempting the same thing. The best path for rapid growth is to embrace, pursue, and amplify discomfort. Learning in a way that you prefer may be comfortable, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best method. Sometimes, learning in the most uncomfortable way can lead to much better results. When Steve Martin first started stand-up comedy in the 1960s, he faced repeated failures. I had no natural talent, Martin said. Early critics also agreed with Martin's self-assessment. Great actors learn their craft by listening, watching, and directly experiencing it.

It is taken for granted that Martin did the same. He listened to the performances of others, observed their gestures, and practiced delivering content that mixed in parts of his own story. He poured countless hours into preparing for the performance, but there was no response. The comedic approach that Martin embraced from the beginning was writing. Writing was not his preferred type; he disliked it because he believed he had no innate talent for it. Among the best writers I know, there are those who would do anything to avoid writing if they could. The problem that arises whenever you push yourself out of your comfort zone is procrastination. Your brain, captured by a monkey that craves immediate rewards, chooses easier and more enjoyable tasks over the difficult ones you need to tackle. Psychologists say that procrastination is not just a matter of time management, but of emotional regulation.

I discovered the fact that when you procrastinate, you are not avoiding effort, but rather avoiding the unpleasant feelings that the action brings. After years of struggling with stand-up performances, Martin came to the disheartening realization that to succeed as a comedian, he needed to write all of his material himself. For the next few years, Martin wrote TV scripts during the day and performed stand-up at night. He began to get more comfortable and familiar with writing. By the mid-1970s, Martin was recognized as one of the most popular stand-up comedians in America. He started to enjoy writing, and it opened doors for him to build a career as a writer. Listening promotes intuitive thinking, while reading activates a much more analytical process. Dyslexia is a learning disability.

If it's not difficult to analyze the text, there is nothing but reading in cultivating critical thinking. Comfort in learning is a contradiction. It's hard to truly feel comfortable until one has honed and mastered a certain skill. However, the process of practicing before mastering is uncomfortable, which leads people to avoid work. To accelerate learning, a second type of courage is needed: the courage to use acquired knowledge. When people start to see discomfort as a sign of growth, it triggers motivation to step outside their comfort zones. Psychotherapists use two different exposure therapy methods when treating phobias: systematic desensitization and flooding. Systematic desensitization involves exposure to a very small amount of threat and gradually increasing the amount of exposure over time. Flooding, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. The psychotherapist exposes the patient to a distressing stimulus all at once.

It falls on your arm, and it’s terrifying and creepy, but once you endure that trial safely, the fear will disappear. If you wait until you feel ready to take on new challenges, you might end up not pursuing your goals at all. One day, you might wake up and realize that the day you feel prepared may never come. If you close your eyes tightly, jump, and start, you will be ready. Everything has gaps, and through those gaps, light comes in. Leonard Cohen was on the other side of the world when he heard the news that his home in Japan was shaken by an earthquake. He boarded the first flight departing from the U.S. As he traveled by boat to Kobe, he felt anxious. The Kobe authorities had commissioned him to design many buildings, from housing complexes built on steep hills to temples. When Ando felt nervous...

그는 건축가로서 정규 교육을 받지 않았지만, 그만한 이유가 있었다. 그는 수없이 많은 오후와 저녁 시간을 나무로 배를 만들고, 녹인 유리를 불고, 금속을 만지며 보냈다. 자기가 직접 건물을 짓겠다는 꿈을 꾸었다. 대학에 진학할 여유가 없었던 안도는 독학으로 건축을 배우기로 했다. 허드렛일로 월세를 벌면서 그는 주변에 건축물을 면밀하게 관찰했다. 친구들로부터 건축 관련 책을 빌려서 건축 자재, 기법, 건축 사조의 변천을 공부했다. 건물 스케치 위에 반투명 종이를 올려놓고 스케치의 윤곽을 따라 그리면서 그림 실력을 닦았다. 마침내 안도는 독학으로 건축과 자격증을 딸 정도가 되었다. 1995년 지진이 고배 시를 강타할 무렵, 그는 이미 고베시에 수십 개의 건물을 설계했다. 지진의 여파가 사그라들고 나서 보니

More than 6,000 people lost their lives, the entire city was destroyed, and over 200,000 buildings collapsed. Surprisingly, not a single one of the 35 buildings designed by Tadao Ando collapsed. There were no noticeable cracks in them. Ando Tadao is the only architect to have received all four of the most prestigious awards in the field of architecture. Known as a master of light and concrete, he is respected as a strong minimalist with a pioneering spirit, creating robust structures that amplify the beauty of the surrounding natural landscape. When thinking of the ingenuity of a great architect, perfectionism comes to mind first. However, I realized that to become an architect with no room for compromise, one must be willing to compromise. Ando is praised for his ability to make the most of limited budgets and constrained spaces. The reason he can do this is solely because he thoroughly rejects perfectionism. His unique style is characterized by form.

There are no flaws in the design, but it is less strict in functionality. When Ando designed his own house, the land was less than 18.6 meters due to space constraints. Even if he pursued perfection, achieving it was impossible. He compromised with a fundamentally flawed design and built a small concrete box with no windows. The only source of light was a skylight in the ceiling. He decided to meet the minimum requirements for ventilation, lighting, and sunlight exposure, leaving the functional issues to the residents. He said that to move from one bedroom to another, one must endure the wind and snow while crossing a roofless courtyard. On rainy days, one has to carry an umbrella inside the house. When the project was submitted as an entry for an architectural award, the judges noted that the award should go to the brave owners who live and survive in such an environment. We usually focus on aesthetic and technical aspects.

Excellence is often associated with the pursuit of flawless results. However, after studying the habits of great designers, dancers, and divers, I realized that striving for perfection is not the key to unlocking hidden potential. The attitude of tolerating imperfections is not just necessary for beginners; it is also part of the process of becoming an expert and continuously honing one’s skills. There are many studies that show perfectionists define excellence by the standards of others. Focusing on creating a perfect image in the eyes of others can lead to risks such as depression, anxiety, burnout, and various other mental health issues. According to 105 studies involving 70,000 participants, placing more value on extrinsic goals like popularity or appearance rather than intrinsic goals such as growth and connection leads to less happiness. The desire for recognition from others is endless, and pursuing status will never bring satisfaction.

Excellence means more than just meeting the expectations of others; it also aligns with the standards you set for yourself. It is impossible to satisfy everyone. The key is to determine whether it's acceptable to disappoint someone. It is better to disappoint others than to disappoint yourself. How others perceive my work is not what drives me; rather, it is my desire to satisfy myself and my urge to challenge myself that motivates me, he says. Life is better when it is fresh. Fresh rock is good, Ando asserts. A green apple symbolizes youth. Ando, currently in his 80s, reflects a constant desire to grow. The aspiration to remain in a youthful state is a continuous drive to grow and to remain unfinished, like an unripe apple that has not completed its growth.

It is incomplete and imperfect; that is precisely why it is beautiful. When honing one’s skills, the most frustrating and annoying situation is stagnation. It feels as though one has reached the limits of mental and physical influence, unable to make any progress and merely going in circles. Stagnation is a sign that growth has come to an end, and it seems to lead one down the path of decline. Surgeons experience a decline as their vision and reflexes deteriorate, leading to stagnation. Scientists face stagnation and decline as brain neurons die. Athletes inevitably stagnate and decline as their strength and speed diminish. At least, that is how we interpret it. However, reality is not that simple. In fact, reality is much more encouraging. Skills do not grow at a steady pace. After examining a wealth of evidence regarding progress, cognitive scientists Wayne Gray and John Linz found that progress follows a remarkable curve.

I discovered a fact: when our ability to perform our tasks declines, it first deteriorates before it can improve again. When our skills stagnate, it is only after they worsen that we finally see an upward trend in improvement. Once we step back sufficiently, we find alternative paths. Accepting the need to retreat is difficult because stepping back means abandoning our current plans and starting over. This leads to a temporary decline in performance, as we have chosen to give up the progress we have made so far. We step back in order to move forward. Only after successfully implementing new methods do we surpass our previous levels of achievement and develop further. James Hare, while out at sea on a tugboat, hurried back to receive a large brown envelope. Upon tearing the wax seal on the envelope, he found an invitation inside, located somewhere north of Chicago.

It was an order to report for duty. This order was delivered to 16 men across the United States. They were men in their mid-20s to mid-30s from various walks of life, including machinists, bookkeepers, lawyers, and sheet metal workers. It was January 1944, and they had no idea what was happening. During the height of World War II, they were given the opportunity to make history. They were the first African American men to enter training in the history of the United States Navy. The Black recruits were separated from the white sailors and received training on their own. They had to endure the instructors' racist outbursts and humiliating remarks. The message given to them was clear: You are going to fail. Among the recruits, there were those who had reasons to feel insecure about themselves. Some had poor grades in school. Jesse's father had failed an introductory economics course with a low score.

학생이었고, 찰스 리어는 10학년을 채우지 못했다. 윌리엄 스일 화이트는 신병 훈련소에서 이제 막 기본적인 훈련을 시작했으며, 군 경험이 전혀 없었다. 상상해보면, 조국이 전쟁 중이므로 훈련 기간은 절반으로 줄어들었다. 장교 후보생들은 꼬박 한 학기 분의 훈련을 겨우 10주 만에 속성으로 맞춰야 했다. 그들은 날마다 6시에 기상하여 구보하고, 8시간 강의를 듣고, 밤 늦게까지 공부했다. 선박 조종술, 항해술, 폭격수 법, 해군 규정, 항공기 인식, 깃발로 신호 보내기, 모스 부호, 생존 기술 등을 터득해야 했다. 그것도 기록적으로 짧은 시간 안에 해군 장교 훈련 강의를 수강한 학생의 3분의 1만 시험에 통과했다. 그러나 최초로 흑인 장교 후보생들로 구성된 학급은 가까스로 턱걸이하는 데 그치지 않았다. 16명 전원이 통과 기준을 훌쩍 상회하는 성적을 기록했다.

The Washington military leadership immediately raised suspicions. To prove that they had not benefited from cheating or scoring errors, they had to take some retests. They scored higher on these retests than on the original exams, finishing their training with a group average GPA of 3.8 out of a perfect 4.0. Years later, they learned that they had achieved the highest scores in Navy history. Among the candidates, 13 responded to the call of their country and served as Navy officers. The first Black officers in the United States to wear gold bars on their shoulders became known as the Golden Thirteen. The Golden Thirteen correctly identified something that most of us misjudge. When faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles, the temptation to give up can be strong. In such times, we are advised to rely on our own strength without seeking help from others.

We must look within ourselves to draw out hidden confidence and knowledge. However, in reality, we often turn our eyes outward to secure the necessary resources and seek help from others. By discovering and developing our hidden potential, we can take off from the ground, especially when the odds are low. There is substantial evidence that studying with knowledgeable peers fosters growth. When U.S. intelligence agencies predict which teams will perform best, the most important factor to consider is how often colleagues support each other. In medical schools, students learn as much from their peers as they do from the faculty. The act of teaching is an incredibly powerful method of learning. A meta-analysis of 16 studies showed that when students were divided into groups, and one group was asked to teach their peers, the students they taught performed significantly better in the subjects they were taught.

점수를 얻었다. 가르치는데 시간을 많이 들일수록 더 많이 배웠다. 한 연구 집단은 다음과 같은 결론을 내렸다. 가르친 사람은 과목에 대한 이해도가 향상되고, 그 과목에 대한 태도도 훨씬 긍정적으로 바뀌었다. 심리학자들은 이 현상을 교습 효과라고 일컫는다. 초보자들에게도 효과가 있는 현상이다. 뭔가를 배우는 가장 좋은 방법은 가르치는 방법이다. 설명한 내용은 더 잘 이해하게 된다. 교습 방법에 익숙해지기 전까지는 누군가에게 가르쳐야 한다는 불편한 느낌을 받아들이기만 하면 된다. 여러분이 누군가에게 뭔가를 가르쳐야 한다는 말만 들어도 여러분의 학습 효과가 급상승한다. 자기는 잘하지 못하지만, 가르침으로써 가르친 내용을 자신도 터득하게 된다. 역사학자 헨리 애덤스는 중세 역사 강의를 함으로써 그 분야의 전문가가 되었다. 그는 학생들에게 처음에 자신은

I had no knowledge of medieval history, but I confessed that I made gradual progress while preparing for the lecture. Physicist John Preskill volunteered to teach quantum computing at the UN and mastered the field. The Golden Thirteen excelled in passing the naval officer exam by teaching each other what they wanted to learn. When officer training began, most of the Golden Thirteen felt it was impossible to accumulate so much knowledge in such a short time. They had to rely on each other. According to the naval tradition of not passing all officer candidates, the candidates tended to see each other as competitors rather than teammates. However, the Golden Thirteen met in the barracks and vowed to help one another, agreeing to live or die together. Fortunately, at least one of us had already done homework on one of the tasks we needed to learn, Cooper said.

They said that they gathered the knowledge they learned and filtered it, becoming like sponges. Each taught the other 12 in their area of expertise. The official lights-out time is 10:30 PM. When night falls, the Golden 13 sit around the bathroom with flashlights, studying well past midnight. To avoid getting caught, they covered the windows with bed sheets to keep the flashlight beams from escaping. When the entire group relies on us, we dig deep into our most stored knowledge. The Golden 13 paved numerous paths for their juniors to advance towards great achievements. It is possible to face obstacles alone, but when we combine our strengths with others, we can reach the highest heights. Professor Richard Hackman is a world-renowned expert on teams. For nearly half a century, he has studied everything imaginable, from airplane cockpits to hospital orchestras.

He researched teams in the field and discovered that, in most cases, teamwork tends to fail to produce fantastic results and is likely to become a nightmare. Teams are often less than the sum of their parts. Along with his protégé, Anita Woolley, he studied how to make teams smarter. Eventually, Woolley and her co-researchers made a breakthrough. They identified the essential elements needed to ensure that a team is greater than the sum of its parts. Surprisingly, regardless of the type of task, there were specific groups that consistently produced excellent results. Data shows that collective intelligence is largely independent of the individual members' intelligence quotients. The smartest teams were not composed of the smartest individuals. In a meta-analysis of 22 studies, Woolley and her co-researchers found that collective intelligence is influenced more by the social skills of the members than by their cognitive abilities.

The best teams consist of the most friendly members, those who excel at collaborating with others. Being a friendly team member does not mean having an attitude of anything goes. Friendliness is not simply about getting along with other members and ensuring everyone cooperates. It is the ability to identify what the group needs and to encourage everyone to contribute equally. While it is beneficial to have one or two wise members in the team, if no one recognizes their value and the members pursue their own agendas, it does not help at all. There is ample evidence that one troublemaker can disrupt the entire group. Just one person acting unfriendly is enough to make the whole team look foolish. The issue of disruptive individuals is also evident in studies of NBA basketball teams, where psychologists have analyzed players' Twitter interactions.

From the information within themselves, they read the self-absorbed tendencies of the players. If there are several self-absorbed players on a team, or even just one with extreme self-absorption, the team's success rate decreases, and the number of victories in matches also declines. People with strong self-absorbed tendencies tend to monopolize the ball. Friendly skills act as the glue that transforms a group into a team. When members are lone wolves, they may excel individually but become part of a cohesive group. Various training exercises that foster teamwork do strengthen camaraderie, but there is meta-analysis data indicating that they do not specifically measure the team's performance achievements. For members to accomplish important tasks, the recognition that they need each other creates differences. Thanks to this awareness, members unite around a common identity and cooperate to achieve collective goals. This kind of cohesion is what allowed the Golden 13 to achieve outstanding results together during naval officer training.

It is a secret. When we select leaders, it is common to choose not the person with the strongest leadership skills, but the one who speaks the most. This phenomenon is referred to as the talking effect. Groups tend to promote the person who talks the most, regardless of their influence or expertise. Research has shown that we often mistake confidence for ability, certainty for reliability, and quantity for quality. We find ourselves trapped in situations where we follow those who dominate discussions rather than those who elevate the level of discourse. Loud individuals not only rise to leadership positions without qualifications but also monopolize the conversation. Those who make the most nonsensical remarks often take all the credit. The people with the weakest interpersonal skills and the strongest self-importance exercise significant authority, causing harm to teams and organizations. According to a meta-analysis, highly narcissistic individuals are more likely to ascend to leadership positions, but such individuals…

Leaders are less effective in their roles when they make selfish judgments, view success through a zero-sum lens, and encourage fiercely competitive behaviors that undermine cohesion and cooperation. Collective intelligence is fostered by a different type of leader—one who prioritizes the mission over the self and values team cohesion over personal glory. Such individuals understand that their goal is not to be the smartest person on the team but to make the entire team smarter. We do not consider the ability to listen as a necessary competency for leaders. There is a stereotype that great leaders worldwide are extroverted and assertive. In the United States, the overwhelming majority of leaders and managers score well above average in extroversion, and as one rises through the ranks, the prevalence of extroverted individuals increases.

In traditionally introverted countries like China, extroverted individuals are often regarded as typical leaders. However, I came across a study that investigated whether extroverted people are actually more effective leaders than introverted individuals. The ideal type of leader is not so clearly defined. An effective leader depends on how proactive the team is. If the team tends to respond to directives from above, extroverted individuals drive the best results. They strongly assert their thoughts and motivate the team to follow them. However, when the team is proactive and presents various ideas and suggestions, it is the introverted leader who guides them to achieve greater accomplishments. When we face a challenging problem, we tend to gather people together to brainstorm in order to quickly obtain the best ideas. However, there is a minor issue: the way we gather people often backfires.

In meetings where ideas are gathered, most good ideas tend to get lost. There is a lot of evidence showing that when we brainstorm together, we fail to maximize collective intelligence. Groups that gather ideas often fall short of tapping into the potential of each member, and when we think alone, we generate more ideas and better ideas. Humor writer Dave Barry once suggested that if humanity has failed to reach its potential so far and will never do so in the future, it can be summed up in one word: meetings. The problem is not the meetings themselves, but how they are conducted. To uncover a team's hidden potential, it is much more desirable to shift from verbally gathering ideas in meetings to a process of collecting opinions in writing. The first step is to have each person work individually and ask team members to come up with their own ideas.

I request that, next, the ideas be gathered and shared anonymously among the group members. To maintain independent judgment, each member evaluates their own ideas. Only then does the entire team come together to select and refine the most desirable options. Throughout most of human history, opportunity has been an inherent privilege. If you were born into nobility, the world is your oyster. If your family background is poor, your fate is already sealed, and your choices are limited. Today, universities and employers prioritize opening doors of opportunity to anyone who is qualified. In principle, the application process invites people from a wide variety of backgrounds and gives them the chance to make an impact. However, the actual system we use to assess qualifications is flawed. The selection systems in schools and workplaces are typically designed to capture excellence, yet those who are making progress toward excellence are rarely selected.

We are not particularly interested in the ups and downs and obstacles that these individuals have faced. In the first stage of the hiring process, employers tend to rely on qualifications to overcome difficulties. Prestigious universities assume that they are selecting the best candidates. However, academic credentials are not as significant as one might think. According to research involving over 28,000 students, students from elite universities performed only slightly better in consulting projects than their peers. A Yale University student performed just 1.9% better than a Cleveland State University student. Requiring a bachelor's degree from applicants could lead to missing out on more than half of the U.S. workforce. Many employers look at past job performance; by assessing how well someone has performed in the past, they can gauge the potential impact of that individual in the present.

However, this scale also has the disadvantage of prompting many to seek their potential. Past job performance is only helpful when a new job requires similar skills to previous ones. Economists examined over 38,000 sales employees and found that the most successful salespeople were more likely to be promoted to management positions. However, sales skills are not the same as management skills. Candidates who excel in closing deals often have weaker abilities in managing employees. Managers who improved their team's performance were not the best sales performers, but rather the most personable members. This is an example of a phenomenon known as the Peter Principle, developed by Laurence J. Peter, which suggests that in the workplace, people tend to be promoted to their level of incompetence. People continue to be promoted based on past successes in their careers until their influence becomes burdensome.

It means being trapped in the snare of a new role. In this case, the best salespeople continue to get promoted and become incompetent managers, while those with the greatest potential to be managers remain as mediocre salespeople. If people's innate talents determine the starting point, then the acquired character influences how far they can go. However, character and skills do not always reveal themselves immediately. If we fail to see beyond appearances, we risk missing out on exceptional hidden potential. Economist George Borjas analyzed a large dataset that included all high school graduates in Florida from 1999 to 2002, yielding surprising results. The aim was to investigate whether their grades predicted future success. Freshman grades did not predict at all whether a student had the potential for future success. The grades from sophomore and junior years, however, did...

It was important that for every one-point increase in average grades, future income rose by 5%. Furthermore, the importance of grades in the fourth year increased twofold; with each one-point increase in average grades, income increased by 10%. However, the phenomenon that highlighted income potential was whether the student improved over time. Unfortunately, universities erase the trajectory a student has taken and compress it into a single score. Universities classify students based solely on the average grades they achieved over four years, without considering whether their grades improved or declined. Students who improved their grades from their first to third year of high school had a significantly higher likelihood of graduating from college compared to those whose grades declined during the same period, while the likelihood of dropping out was much lower. However, admissions officers did not take this into account.

Schools do not consider changes; they evaluate you equally based on achievements from three years ago as well as those from three months ago, without even thinking about the most recent data. Let's say I write a book about potential. People ask me questions related to dreams. They worry that the word dream feels clichéd and overused. Then, I came across new evidence that people with grand dreams achieve greater success. Economists tracked thousands of individuals from birth until they turned 55, and they found that aspirations held during adolescence were indicative of the lives they would lead as adults. Those who had grand dreams excelled in school and received higher promotions at work. Even after considering various factors such as cognitive skills, character skills, household income, parental education, and career aspirations, it is evident that the aspirations they held played a significant role in their outcomes.

It has influenced whether one becomes a person of character. If you have doubts about yourself, shouldn’t you also question the low evaluations you make of yourself? I now believe that imposter syndrome is a sign of hidden potential. While it may feel like others overestimate you, it is much more likely that you underestimate yourself. If many people believe in you, it may be time for you to believe in them as well. The most meaningful growth is not in building a career, but in building character. Success is not merely about achieving goals; it is about living a life that practices the values we cherish. It is the aspiration to be a better version of ourselves tomorrow than we are today. There are no higher values than that. There is no greater achievement than realizing hidden potential. This has been Hidden Potential. Now, let me...

This book's theme is potential. Potential is like something that is asleep; it is submerged, just like a submarine is a ship that is submerged in water, and an underwater bridge is a bridge that is submerged. Potential exists within everyone, but it is a hidden force that does not reveal itself unless a situation calls for it. There is a saying that difficult times create heroes, and life is similar. When life is free of challenges and smooth, humans do not need to demonstrate exceptional abilities. However, when unbearable hardships arise and seemingly insurmountable obstacles appear, people can sometimes become like Superman. Then, those around them may think that this person was always exceptional and that such traits are not common. Each person does not fully recognize their own potential, which is the power to achieve great things.

The conditions under which one can unleash their potential are difficult situations or seemingly insurmountable adversities that cannot be resolved without doing so. In that sense, hardship can be viewed as a blessing in life, as there can be no leap forward without it. Everyone possesses the ability to think, feel, and act. Just as steel produced in a factory can be used to make cars or airplanes, or even needles and spoons, our human capacity to think, feel, and act is a kind of universal talent. In particular, reason and imagination should be regarded as tremendous powers. This power exists in varying degrees among individuals, but it is present in everyone. Each person has an internal factory that infinitely supplies metal sheets. What to create with it is up to each individual. One can either sit idly or choose to build a spaceship. It is solely their choice.

success can come from the smallest efforts. Responsibility is often overlooked when discussing success. It is commonly said that success is a combination of talent, effort, and luck. To claim that one cannot succeed due to a lack of talent may be an insult to one's own reason and imagination. It also reflects an irresponsible attitude towards one's own life. The book I introduced today contains several stories of ordinary individuals who, through wise and diligent efforts, achieved success. If they can do it, why can't we? Perhaps it is because we believe we cannot and do not even start. Or maybe it is because, even if we start, we easily get discouraged or give up. Looking at the success stories that have made history, it becomes clear that having talent, effort, and luck does not guarantee success for everyone. Often, it is the unwavering determination to not give up that leads to significant breakthroughs. If we do not lament our lack of talent and instead persist in our efforts, we can reap even the smallest fruits of success in this world. Sometimes, unexpected great success can emerge from the smallest actions.

We tend to like to legally apologize for our mistakes because it is convenient. It is easy to think of things in binary terms, such as whether one has talent or not, whether one is lucky or not, whether one is successful or a failure. However, humans, life, and this world cannot be neatly divided like that. There are those who believe they have talent and act accordingly, and those who believe they do not have talent and do not act. Even the same event can be seen as fortunate by some and unfortunate by others. Depending on interpretation, the same outcome can be judged as success or failure. The truth is difficult to discern. There is the story of a mother who lifted a car when her child was trapped underneath, and there is also the story of four American soldiers in a jeep during the Vietnam War who got stuck in a swamp. When they saw the Viet Cong approaching, they lifted the jeep out of the swamp and then escaped back to their base. Those four returned to their base on solid ground.

I made a bet with my colleagues about whether I could lift the Jeep above us, but I couldn't do it. Even within the physical human body, there lies an astonishing potential for superhuman strength. What about the mind? Could there be powers within us that we never even imagined? We might go through our entire lives without ever realizing or using that strength. This book discusses character and mental abilities. In simple terms, it refers to mental capabilities. The author mentions four aspects of character abilities: initiative, sociability, self-control, and determination. Of course, there are many other mental abilities as well. Living proactively doesn't mean that I decide everything. Rather, it is the ability to find or create hidden choices that are not apparent in the current reality and to select among them. When we hear something unpleasant, we can choose to feel bad or choose to respond differently. Even when we feel bad, we can choose not to let it affect us.

It's not about pretending; it's about responding with composure. You probably understand well that I cannot do whatever I want with my remaining heart. However, what we ask for is the fact that others cannot do whatever they want with me either. Others cannot make me feel bad; I simply choose to feel that way. My reactions are not automatic reflexes but active choices. I am not obligated to respond in the way that others hope or expect. Many people misunderstand this; they think that in a hierarchical relationship, I can only choose when I am in a position of power, meaning when I hold the reins. However, relationships, in any form, are mutual and reciprocal. Even the relationship between a pet and its owner involves a push and pull. A mouse in front of a cat can make the cat flinch. In this way, we can live proactively at every moment. Additionally, sociability is introduced in this book as an essential element for successful teams. There is a saying that if we come together, we live, and if we scatter, we die. In the face of crises and challenges, division occurs.

A team struggles to survive, let alone achieve success. Almost all of humanity's great accomplishments and achievements are often the result of long-term collective teamwork rather than outstanding individuals. Humans are weak, but when they cooperate, they become invincible. An isolated individual finds it difficult to fend off even a single ferocious dog. Meeting good friends and forming a good team is a great fortune. If such luck is absent, one must take the initiative to create that team. For a team to achieve better results than individuals, the ability to unite the team is essential. The author argues that those with this ability to connect should be the leaders. Self-control is the ability to act not based on bodily desires and urges but to wait patiently. This is a state where the mind controls the body, which is a particular strength of humans compared to other animals. Animals follow their instincts, while humans are capable of exceptional self-discipline. They do not act hastily or impulsively based on immediate thoughts.

Things don't always move as we think. The decisive charm of self-control is that it can be developed through practice. With training, self-control becomes stronger, but people often blame their weak self-control without putting in the effort to train it. Finally, persistence is a mindset of not giving up. Among those with similar talent, effort, and luck, it is the person who does not give up who ultimately wins. Enduring without giving up is also a type of character talent, and this can be nurtured through practice as well. It would be good not to view humans as too fixed. In this world, everything changes, but there is no existence that can transform as much as humans can. Depending on one’s mindset, a person can become completely different from who they were yesterday. Animals do not have that capability. Imagine a robot from a science fiction comic that can transform into anything. Isn’t that an incredible ability? That potential lies within us humans; the only difference is whether we bring it out and develop it.

The question is whether you will endure the pain and continue to develop, or give up in the face of the pain. Each person simply makes their own choice. Director Shim Hyung-rae, who started as a comedian and made his mark in the film industry globally, left behind the famous quote, It's not that you can't do it; it's that you don't do it, which makes you unable to. The new era is shaped by those who dare to challenge themselves. Although I haven't read it in detail, this book contains many interesting anecdotes about ordinary people who awakened their hidden potential and achieved great accomplishments. An ordinary businessman became Superman. If you are curious about how to develop your own potential, I recommend reading this book. Before saying you have no potential, it would be good to reflect on whether you have bravely and seriously tried to draw out your own potential. If there is even one desperate reason, perhaps you could also become Superman.

This has been a day's worth of thoughts from South Korea. Thank you.

히든 포텐셜 / 애덤 그랜트 / 한국경제신문

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브런치: 책한민국


책한민국

아담 그랜트의 저서 '숨겨진 잠재력'은 재능은 타고난 것이라는 관념에 도전하며, 적절한 기회와 동기만 주어진다면 누구나 배우고 위대한 성취를 이룰 수 있다고 강조합니다.

테네시 실험은 경험이 풍부한 교사가 학생들의 성공에 지속적인 영향을 미칠 수 있음을 보여주며 타고난 능력보다 인성 기술의 중요성을 강조합니다.

그랜트는 인성은 고정된 것이 아니라 기회와 동기를 통해 개발될 수 있으며, 궁극적으로 인생의 성공을 결정하는 데 중요한 역할을 한다고 주장합니다.

성장을 위한 불편함 수용의 중요성

인성과 기술을 키우는 것은 나이나 상황에 관계없이 필수적입니다.

다국어를 구사하는 사람들은 언어 학습이 나이에 의해 제한되는 것이 아니라 정서적 장애에 의해 제한된다는 것을 보여줍니다.

스티브 마틴과 건축가 안도 다다오의 경험에서 볼 수 있듯이 불편함을 받아들이고 도전에 정면으로 맞서는 것은 개인의 성장과 성공으로 이어질 수 있습니다.

안도 타다오의 독특한 접근 방식

안도 다다오의 건물은 엄청난 재난에도 붕괴되지 않고 견뎌낸 독특한 건축물로 4대 건축상을 모두 수상했습니다.

타협과 완벽주의에 대한 거부로 특징지어지는 그의 미니멀하고 파격적인 디자인은 우수성에 대한 전통적인 관념에 도전합니다.

안도의 철학은 불완전함을 용인하고 성공을 위한 개인적 기준을 세우는 것의 중요성을 강조하는 동시에 성장과 쇄신에 대한 지속적인 열망을 반영합니다.

황금의 13: 함께 장애물 극복하기

흑인 장교 후보생으로 구성된 골든 쓰리틴은 어려운 환경 속에서도 해군 훈련에서 뛰어난 성적을 거두었습니다.

이들은 서로를 지원하고 지식을 공유하며 색다른 학습 방법을 사용하여 해군 역사상 가장 높은 점수를 획득했습니다.

이들의 성공은 자신의 삶을 변화시켰을 뿐만 아니라 미래 세대가 커리어를 발전시킬 수 있는 길을 열어주었습니다.

팀워크는 개인의 지능에 관계없이 특정 그룹이 다른 그룹보다 지속적으로 우수한 성과를 내는 등 좋은 결과를 얻지 못하는 경우가 많습니다.

집단 지성은 구성원들의 인지 능력보다 사회적 기술에 더 많은 영향을 받으며, 친근한 팀원들이 협업과 결속력을 촉진합니다.

가장 목소리가 큰 사람을 리더로 승진시키는 일반적인 관행은 해로울 수 있지만, 효과적인 리더는 개인의 영광보다 팀의 사명과 결속력을 우선시합니다.

집단 지성 극대화 및 잠재력 발굴

그룹 브레인스토밍은 종종 집단 지성을 극대화하지 못하고 개인이 혼자서 더 나은 아이디어를 만들어내는 경우가 많습니다.

회의에서 구두로 아이디어를 모으는 방식에서 서면 프로세스로 전환하면 팀의 숨겨진 잠재력을 발견할 수 있습니다.

현재 대학과 직장에서 자격을 평가하는 시스템은 결함이 있어 개인이 우수성을 향해 발전하는 것을 놓치는 경우가 많습니다.

학교는 과거의 성취도를 기준으로 학생들을 평가하며, 종종 최근 데이터와 열망의 중요성을 간과합니다.

연구에 따르면 청소년기의 원대한 꿈과 열망은 미래의 성공에 대한 강력한 지표가 됩니다.

고난과 도전적인 상황은 숨겨진 잠재력을 끌어낼 수 있으며, 성공은 흔들리지 않는 결단력과 작은 노력에서 비롯되는 경우가 많습니다.

인간의 잠재력을 깨우다: 내면의 힘

이 책은 인간의 마음속에 내재된 초인적인 힘의 놀라운 잠재력을 탐구하며 주도성, 사교성, 자제력, 결단력과 같은 인성 능력의 중요성을 강조합니다.

또한 성공을 달성하는 데 있어 주도적인 삶, 상호 관계, 팀워크의 힘의 중요성을 강조합니다.

저자는 자제력과 끈기는 연습을 통해 개발할 수 있다고 주장하며 독자들이 변화와 성장에 대한 자신의 잠재력을 되돌아보도록 독려합니다.