In the mood again to tackle another self help book, I recently listened to the audiobook of Hidden Potential - The Science of Achieving Greater Things by Adam Grant. With an endorsement from tennis champion Serena Williams, I was confident Hidden Potential would provide a number of pearls of wisdom to add to my growing collection.
The author includes achievements by an array of inspiring individuals from all walks of life which was mildly interesting but this book is a better launching pad for those with low self esteem who feel underrated and overlooked. I guess I should be thankful that's not me.
Throughout the audiobook, there were snippets read by other contributors that distracted from the overall flow of the content. If they were longer they may have had value but I just found them irritating and a distraction.
I did enjoy this tidbit about the difference between asking for feedback and asking for advice.
"Instead of seeking feedback, you're better off asking for advice. Feedback tends to focus on how well you did last time. Advice shifts attention to how you can do better next time. In experiments, that simple shift is enough to elicit more specific suggestions and more constructive input. Rather than dwelling on what you did wrong, advice guides you toward what you can do right." Chapter 2, Human Sponges - Building the Capacity to Absorb and AdaptI can understand how this book has helped readers overcome psychological barriers and inspired them to chase after their dreams, but for a reader who has read many self help books I didn't find a previously untapped reservoir of hidden potential to draw from.
I haven't read Hidden Potential so I can't comment on it directly. But is it just me or has the market become saturated with self-help books? I feel the internet has convinced us that we are more vulnerable than we really are and that somehow we are doing life wrong. Authors are responding by trying to tell us how to be better human beings. It's exhausting! I'll pass on Hidden Potential but if it works for someone else, then that's no bad thing:)
ReplyDelete