Holiday Reading Reviews – “Hidden Potential” and “Master of Change”

I read two amazing books this past month.  “Hidden Potential” by Adam Grant (who has become one of my favorite authors) and “Master of Change” by Brad Stulberg.  Each book has real higher education applicability based on my experiences. 

In “Hidden Potential”, the author shares stories about identifying people with character and values – those who are also disciplined and determined.  It reminded me of searching for those diamond in the rough applicants who show grit that will be difference makers on campus.  In a holistic admission process, where you have the luxury of looking beyond high school GPA, class rank, and standardized test scores, these are the students I am drawn to.  I remember an applicant one year with a B- high school grade point average and middle of the road standardized test scores.  Yet, he was class president and held leadership positions in five different organizations in his high school – and not the underwater basket weaving club – those with real social conscious.  I also remember he sent a personal note to every admission counselor in our office (about 15 in total) that all arrived about three weeks after the application deadline – impeccable timing – just as we were in the thick of application reading.  We admitted him.  He was my kind of gritty kid.  And yes, he did persistent and graduate. 

In the book, Adam Grant also shares that, “character is how you show up on a hard day.”   In describing resilience, he writes, “making progress isn’t always about moving forward.  Sometimes it’s about bouncing back.”  I think these sentiments are very appropriate for higher education professionals working through the challenges associated with a shifting landscape and environment (both externally and internally).  More on this later, but how you respond to changes and challenges, not simply react, will set you apart as a leader who can guide his/her team through muddy waters with a growth mindset.  In Adam Grant’s words, “I don’t know what I am doing yet (but) it’s only a matter of time until I figure it out.”  He closes the book by sharing, “there’s no higher value than aspiring to be better tomorrow than we are today.”  Amen to that from my perspective.

In “Master of Change”, the author uses the term, “rugged flexibility” as an approach to facing change or challenges.  This approach resonated with me as a higher education professional in looking to be resilient in responding to change while remaining open minded to new and different approaches in addressing a shifting higher education landscape as well as internal and external environmental challenges.  Approaching change with “rugged flexibility”, according to Brad Stulberg, allows us to be at peace with change, knowing we cannot control everything around us – that’s the flexible part.  However, being rugged, involves being, “tough, determined, and durable” – in John speak, gritty. 

Brad Stulberg also talks about responding to change versus being reactive to change.  Responding to change, according to the author, involves seeking out new alternatives in an unsettled and shifting environment – like the higher education landscape.  Reacting to change is a more defensive, fighting instinct – think fight or flight – response to a changing environment that involves rigidity and a resistance to a challenge.  The more productive response that could lead to new creative outcomes involves pivoting flexibly.  For example, given the higher education demographic cliff, or demand cliff, as documented in the October 16, 2023 InsideHigherEd article by Rebecca Matthews, Bijan Warner, and Peter Stokes, a reaction would be to throw up your hands and say the sky is falling in as there are less new prospective high school students to recruit and enroll.  A strategic, thoughtful, and flexible response would be to find alternative prospective student markets via transfer, graduate, online, alternative enrollment periods, or by doubling down on student success initiatives to diversify enrollment so as not to be dependent on one particular population.    

I found the model Brad Stulberg advances for responding to change refreshing.  As opposed to “panic”, he advances that taking time to, “pause, process, plan, and proceed” leads to more growth opportunities.  He cites that the path may not always be clear but by reflecting and being deliberately thoughtful, creative outcomes are possible.  Being courageous to proceed may not always bear fruit but the learning involved in taking a step will more likely result in a positive outcome.  Again, as an example for higher education professionals, while working to develop transfer pathways via articulation agreements may seem challenging because of curricular inflexibility, trying something new that appears unsuccessful could result in developing new student onboarding courses that facilitate transfer enrollment. 

For those of you facing challenges in high education, or any professional environment for that matter, I found “Hidden Potential” and “Master of Change” great reads that added arrows to my professional quiver in how to overcome change and challenges with a growth mindset.  Having never done a formal book review, I wholeheartedly recommend these reads (especially by a fireplace during the holidays). 

Enjoy!