Hidden Genius: The secret ways of thinking that power the world’s most successful people
Polina Marinova Pompliano
Harriman House (June 20231)

“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re probably right.” Henry Ford

Why did Polina Marinova Pompliano write Hidden Genius? “This book will expose you to the hidden genius of a wide variety of people whose journeys have taught them practical lessons you can apply to your own life if you so choose. There is no perfect human being, but I believe that we can all learn from each other’s most fulfilling successes — as well as our most devastating failures.” What does it offer? “The people featured in this book will offer tools to help you boost your creativity, strengthen your relationships, and improve your decision-making. I invite you to come with me on a learning journey that will ultimately lead you to discover your own hidden genius.”

I wish I had a dollar for every time someone has told me “I am not creative. Not at all.” In their business classic, Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All (2013), Tom Kelley and his brother David Kelley help their reader to “unleash the creative potential within.” They insist — and I agree — that literally anyone can live a more creative life, at work and elsewhere, in all situations in which they have problems to solve, questions to answer, goals to set, tasks to complete, and relationships to nourish. The Kelleys challenge all manner of misconceptions, such as the common refrain “I’m just not creative.” In fact, they suggest, “As brothers who have worked together for thirty years at the forefront of innovation, we have come to see this set of misconceptions as ‘the creativity myth.’ It is a myth that far too many people share. This book is about the opposite of that myth. It is about what we call ‘creative confidence.'” Presumably, Pompliano agrees.

She can help almost any reader to achieve these specific learning objectives, with each preceded by a HOW TO:

o Unleash your creative potential
o Master your mental toughness
o Unlock healthy relations
o Tell better stories (and do so more effectively)
o Become a high-impact leader

o Take risks, especially in times of uncertainty
o Clarify your thinking
o Build a more engaged workplace culture
o Optimize your content diet”
o Discover and nourish your inner genius

Here are two concluding suggestions: Highlight key passages, and, keep a lined notebook near at hand while reading Hidden Genius in which you record your comments, questions, action steps (preferably with deadlines) and page references as well as your responses to questions or issues suggested by the material. These two simple tactics will facilitate, indeed expedite frequent reviews of key material later.

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Briefly, Polina Marinova Pompliano is the author of Hidden Genius: The Secret Ways of Thinking That Power the World’s Most Successful People.  She is also the founder of The Profile, a media organization that studies successful people and companies.

Previously, she spent five years at FORTUNE where she wrote more than 1,300 articles and earned the trust of prominent investors and entrepreneurs. As the author and editor of Term Sheet, FORTUNE’s industry-leading dealmaking newsletter, Polina interviewed the industry’s most influential dealmakers, including Melinda Gates, Steve Case, Chamath Palihapitiya, and more.