Even if we are not geniuses, we can still achieve great things.

This is affirmed by Professor Adam Grant in the book "Turning Potential into Talent".

In a study that sought to uncover the origins of exceptional talent, psychologists interviewed more than 120 people from a wide range of fields, from musicians and artists to scientists and world-class athletes. They also interviewed the subjects’ parents, teachers, and coaches. It was shocking to discover that only a small number of these high-achievers were child prodigies. Some had never been recognized by their teachers as having special abilities or being superior to their peers.

Traditionally, people have been led to believe that greatness is something we are born with, not something we can cultivate. So we tend to glorify gifted students in school, gifted athletes, or musical prodigies who showed up early. However, in his book Turn Potential into Talent , Professor Adam Grant shows us that even if we are not child prodigies, we can still achieve great things.

“When assessing potential, we make a major mistake by focusing on the starting point – on immediately visible abilities. In a world obsessed with innate talent, we assume that the most promising people are those who stand out now. But high achievers are vastly different in their ability to demonstrate early aptitude,” says Addam Grant.

Through more than 20 years of research, Grant realized that development requires not only thinking but also many other things, including personality skills, such as initiative, determination, curiosity... According to Adam Grant, it is these personality skills that will determine how people handle all problems in life. It is also what helps us live according to our principles and values.

In the book, you will learn many things through different stories, from a boxer who taught himself architecture, a woman who escaped poverty with the ability to absorb knowledge super fast, to people who had difficulty in school but are now ranked among the best in the world... They were not born with invisible superpowers, but most of their talents came from the learning process or self-training.

But relying on character skills alone is not enough to get us far. To scale the steep peaks, we need support from many sources. This support is scaffolding. It helps us build resilience to overcome obstacles that threaten to oppress and limit our growth. This scaffolding can come from family, friends, mentors, and even ourselves.

Adam Grant has been recognized as a top professor for 7 consecutive years at Wharton University, USA. He is an organizational psychologist, recognized as one of the 10 most influential management thinkers in the world according to HR magazine. Many of his books have been published in millions of copies and translated into 45 languages such as Dare to Think Again, Give and Take, Reverse Thinking Changes the World...

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/khong-phai-la-than-dong-chung-ta-van-co-the-dat-nhung-dieu-vi-dai-20241110170925668.htm