Adam Grant

I actually was nicknamed by my first coach, Frankenstein, because I was so stiff that I couldn't even, I couldn't touch my toes without bending my knees. And I actually walked like Frankenstein. And I didn't jump very high and I was not graceful at all. And I didn't have much explosive power, all the things that you want in diving.

I go to my first tryout and the coach says, do you want the good news or the bad news? And I say, definitely the bad news. And he tells me that his grandmother and his grandfather can both outjump me. That, you know, I don't have the flexibility or explosive power or grace that you look for in a typical diver. I'm like, is there good news? And he says, yes. You know, diving is a nerd sport.

I go to my first tryout and the coach says, do you want the good news or the bad news? And I say, definitely the bad news. And he tells me that his grandmother and his grandfather can both outjump me. That, you know, I don't have the flexibility or explosive power or grace that you look for in a typical diver. I'm like, is there good news? And he says, yes. You know, diving is a nerd sport.

I go to my first tryout and the coach says, do you want the good news or the bad news? And I say, definitely the bad news. And he tells me that his grandmother and his grandfather can both outjump me. That, you know, I don't have the flexibility or explosive power or grace that you look for in a typical diver. I'm like, is there good news? And he says, yes. You know, diving is a nerd sport.

It attracted all the people who are too short for basketball and too slow for track and too weak for football. if you want to be good at this, if you pour yourself into this, then I think by the time you graduate from high school, you're going to be an all-state diver. And that just lit a fire in me, right?

It attracted all the people who are too short for basketball and too slow for track and too weak for football. if you want to be good at this, if you pour yourself into this, then I think by the time you graduate from high school, you're going to be an all-state diver. And that just lit a fire in me, right?

It attracted all the people who are too short for basketball and too slow for track and too weak for football. if you want to be good at this, if you pour yourself into this, then I think by the time you graduate from high school, you're going to be an all-state diver. And that just lit a fire in me, right?

The idea that this coach who had actually trained an Olympian by that point saw more potential in me than I saw in myself. It made me want to get better. And every time I hit the water and Eric gave me, he'd be like, Adam, that was bad. How bad? And he'd say, I'd give that a three, three and a half. We'd talk about, how can I get a four? And how can I get a four and a half?

The idea that this coach who had actually trained an Olympian by that point saw more potential in me than I saw in myself. It made me want to get better. And every time I hit the water and Eric gave me, he'd be like, Adam, that was bad. How bad? And he'd say, I'd give that a three, three and a half. We'd talk about, how can I get a four? And how can I get a four and a half?

The idea that this coach who had actually trained an Olympian by that point saw more potential in me than I saw in myself. It made me want to get better. And every time I hit the water and Eric gave me, he'd be like, Adam, that was bad. How bad? And he'd say, I'd give that a three, three and a half. We'd talk about, how can I get a four? And how can I get a four and a half?

And that just made me more and more excited to learn. And I ended up making the state finals, not my senior year, but my junior year. And by that point, when I graduated from high school, I couldn't believe it. I was a two-time junior Olympic national qualifier.

And that just made me more and more excited to learn. And I ended up making the state finals, not my senior year, but my junior year. And by that point, when I graduated from high school, I couldn't believe it. I was a two-time junior Olympic national qualifier.

And that just made me more and more excited to learn. And I ended up making the state finals, not my senior year, but my junior year. And by that point, when I graduated from high school, I couldn't believe it. I was a two-time junior Olympic national qualifier.

And I made the All-American list, and I was being recruited to dive at the NCAA Division I level, which I had no business doing, but none of it would have ever happened if Eric Best didn't look at me and say, Adam, you're not any good today, but I believe you can be much better tomorrow.

And I made the All-American list, and I was being recruited to dive at the NCAA Division I level, which I had no business doing, but none of it would have ever happened if Eric Best didn't look at me and say, Adam, you're not any good today, but I believe you can be much better tomorrow.

And I made the All-American list, and I was being recruited to dive at the NCAA Division I level, which I had no business doing, but none of it would have ever happened if Eric Best didn't look at me and say, Adam, you're not any good today, but I believe you can be much better tomorrow.

I love this idea, Chris. I think, you know, a lot of people, I think, experience, they feel pressure around this or regret or both. Like, I'm not living up to my potential. And what they forget is that potential is not fixed. Right. Yeah. You have a floor that's determined by your current level of skill and you have a ceiling, but that ceiling is not set in stone.

I love this idea, Chris. I think, you know, a lot of people, I think, experience, they feel pressure around this or regret or both. Like, I'm not living up to my potential. And what they forget is that potential is not fixed. Right. Yeah. You have a floor that's determined by your current level of skill and you have a ceiling, but that ceiling is not set in stone.

I love this idea, Chris. I think, you know, a lot of people, I think, experience, they feel pressure around this or regret or both. Like, I'm not living up to my potential. And what they forget is that potential is not fixed. Right. Yeah. You have a floor that's determined by your current level of skill and you have a ceiling, but that ceiling is not set in stone.

It's dependent on changes in your skill and shifts in your motivation and the opportunities that are put in front of you. And I think what's striking to me is that what I lived as a diver is true for all of us. We all have hidden potential, which is a capacity for growth that might be invisible to you. And it might also be invisible to some of the people around you.