Hidden Potential

researchers investigated what happened to teams after their star players got injured. As expected, teams got worse. But once the star returned, they won even more games than they had before he was hurt. Why did losing their best player ultimately help them get better?

Instead of seeking feedback, you’re better off asking for advice.

A rut is not a sign that you’ve tanked. A plateau is not a cue that you’ve peaked. They’re signals that it may be time to turn around and find a new route.

practice is incomplete without play,

For every project that matters to me, I’ve had judging committees for over a decade now. They’re not permanent structures; they’re temporary scaffolding.

The real world is far more ambiguous. Once you leave the predictable, controllable cocoon of academic exams, the desire to find the “correct” answer can backfire. In a meta-analysis, the average correlation between perfectionism and performance at work was zero.

But traveling great distances depends on recognizing that perfection is a mirage—and learning to tolerate the right imperfections.

done is better than perfect.

Being polite is withholding feedback to make someone feel good today. Being kind is being candid about how they can get better tomorrow.

he would have to become a freak of nurture.