Scaffolding Character: The ‘Finnishing’ Touch To Unleash Hidden PotentialIn this article, Neil delves into Adam Grant’s ‘Hidden Potential’, exploring its insights on character education and skill development. Grant challenges the societal emphasis on talent, advocating for a transformative focus on character skills. The discussion spans early development, the importance of scaffolding, and draws parallels with the innovative Finnish education system, providing a paradigm shift applicable to all ages.THE GIFT OF GRANTI have finally, during these cold, dark winter nights, got around to reading some of the books I received as Christmas presents. Top of the list was Adam Grant’s ‘Hidden Potential’.Grant is a renowned professor, a thought leader in personal and professional development and the book was highly recommended, so I was feeling positive about learning something interesting as I turned to the first page….and I was right to feel that way! The book is informative, stimulating and the conclusions, based on his research, relate to the world I operate in; that of character education and skill development for young people. And thankfully, the conclusions confirm as good practice what we have been striving to achieve over a number of years at Kloodle.CHALLENGING THE SOCIAL NARRATIVEGrant runs through a journey with well-supported arguments, backed by plausible case-studies and research, in which he challenges the pervasive belief in the primacy of talent, emphasising the transformative power of character skills and, ultimately, painting a compelling picture of a world where potential can be recognised, nurtured, and celebrated at every stage of life.The book starts by criticising preconceived notions about success and society’s obsession with celebrating ‘talent’ and the ‘gifted’. Conventional belief promotes ideas that success is reserved for those with inherent advantages and that puts doubt in the minds of the rest of us. However, admiring people who start out with innate advantages leads us to overlook the distance we ourselves can travel if we put our minds to it. We underestimate our potential – the range of skills that we can learn and how good we can become. And when opportunity doesn’t knock, there are ways to build a door.Grant urges readers to recognise their potential for growth and skills’ development and offers a framework for raising aspirations and exceeding expectations.SKILLS OF CHARACTERThe core message revolves around the significance of character skills and that progress is less about innate genius and more about the character capabilities one develops. It’s very much along the lines of the Growth Mindset and you can ‘grow’ from an early age by adopting a ‘mindset’ of:These are presented as essential character skills that can be cultivated over time, labelled in silos as:The benefit of developing character skills is that you don’t have to be the smartest person in the room to flourish. People with strong character traits are the ones who strive to make themselves and others smarter, employing problem solving and critical thinking.Throughout the book, Grant supports his arguments with compelling research and studies. The surprising findings, such as the impact of character skills on the success of African entrepreneurs, challenge conventional wisdom and add depth to the book’s overarching message.EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF CHARACTERA significant proposition is the early development of character skills, with kindergarten identified as an ideal starting point. It is important to teach children to embrace discomfort, to seek challenges, and be comfortable with imperfectionism from an early age as this lays the foundation for a mindset of continuous growth.Backed up by research by Harvard economist Raj Chetty, Grant believes that these character skills, learned way back in kindergarten, play a pivotal role in determining success, and are more predictive of future success than cognitive abilities.THE IMPORTANCE OF S...

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