Superman can fly and shoot lasers from his eyes. The Flash can run impossibly fast. Wonder Woman is not only incredibly strong, she’s got bulletproof jewelry.
So, what’s your superpower? What skill or ability do you possess that is out of the ordinary and how have you harnessed that superpower in your work? What special gift have you been given to make this world a better place?
Perhaps the first person I ever observed with a super power is my mother. She had the uncanny ability to make friends with anyone almost instantly. You could trap my mother on a crowded elevator with a group of complete strangers in a foreign city and before they could pry the doors open, she’d have heard at least three life stories.
Total strangers tell my mother things they wouldn’t tell a licensed therapist. She shares this special prowess with at least a couple of company presidents that I know who’ve built very successful careers around their uncanny ability to make friends.
It’s a tricky year to be talking politics, but let’s set aside our leanings for just a minute. Barack Obama is a super human orator. Whatever you thought about his ability to run the country, you have to hand him that. Ronald Reagan was a great actor. He played the part of the President with a natural ease. Each of them leveraged their superpowers as a foundation for their entire careers.
If football is your thing, you’ll know about All-American Rams player Aaron Donald who was named the top player of 2019 by the NFL. He’s known as a defensive tackling powerhouse. You wouldn’t be doing him or the team any favors if you stuck him in the quarterback position.
Marcus Buckingham writes extensively about the importance of finding and leveraging your strengths. According to his research, unfortunately, we do that much too rarely. He contends that less than 20% of the working population hold jobs that allow them to do what they do best with the majority of their time. These “twenty percenters,” however, are disproportionately successful and happy.
Our superpowers are as varied and diverse as humanity. Sure, our particular superpowers may not be as impressive or as well used as the people I mentioned above, but they’re our superpowers nonetheless.
For example, the other day I told a class that I think my superpower is “Words.” I’m a storyteller that can craft an experience in a way that brings audiences in and makes them feel like they are personally involved. My words are instructive, useful, and interesting. It’s not a superpower that’s exclusive to me, of course. There are some who were arguably better at it, like Shakespeare, Martin Luthur King Jr, and Bob Dylan. Their ability to do “Words” so incredibly doesn’t in any way diminish me.
I feel very fortunate and a bit proud that I’ve become an author, speaker, consultant, and teacher. These roles call upon me to use my superpower on a regular and routine basis. Much of my energy in professional development and career counseling centers around the quest of helping individuals identify their special gifts in order to capitalize on them and find work that enriches their well being as well as their bank accounts.
Another important thing to remember about a superpower is that it usually comes with a price tag. The larger the gift, the more obligation one normally feels to put it to good use. It’s not a coincidence that Superman felt a need to help humanity. Bruce Wayne (aka Batman) was not comfortable enriching only himself. Because of their special abilities, both of them felt obliged to pitch in and fight the crime lords that were laying siege to their cities. They may be fictional characters, but they were designed to embody the Human Spirit.
Likewise, Ted Turner has used his superpower of grand vision to not only redefine television but to save our western frontier from unrestrained development. Bill Gates has used his super power for software to not just amass billions of dollars in personal fortune, but now to systematically give it all away.
On a smaller scale, I work with dozens of highly successful entrepreneurs and senior business leaders who are blessed with superpowers of all shapes and sizes. When they identify and harness these gifts properly, they create meaningful and life sustaining work for not just themselves, but for countless others. To me, these are the heroes who will lead us out of difficult and troubling times.
Yes, vote for the politicians you think will best serve your interest and cheer for your hometown team stars. But, dear citizens of Gotham, let’s also remember to recognize the potential in ourselves and those around us. Armed with our superpowers, we together can create and sustain meaningful lives both at home and at work.
And by all means, let’s start with you!
So how do you put your superpower to work?
1. Take a good look in the mirror. Think deeply about what it is that YOU do best. Write it down and refine it. This kind of reflection can be difficult, but some find it helpful to go on a personal retreat. That may mean unplugging all the flashing screens in our lives for a while or even going away for a secluded weekend.
2. Ask those that know you best. “What do you consider my greatest skill or ability?” It’s a powerful question that can give you powerful insight. Compare what you hear to your personal assessment. You may have been short changing yourself or chasing false narratives. Those that live and work with you daily will see things in you that you may never have seen yourself.
3. Find a Guide. Sometimes to find the path, we need a map. There are tools out there to support your journey. From career counselors to skills assessments, test out different means to your ends. Take a look at others with your superpower and how they’ve cultivated it. Their paths may inform yours.
4. Clear the Path. Chances are you may not be currently utilizing your superpowers to the fullest. Spend some time researching and planning your next best moves. That will help you reach your goals without adding too much stress both mentally and financially. The leg work is worth it!
5. Use It! With great power comes great responsibility. Join that 20% Club I’d mentioned before. If you’re in a position to fully utilize your abilities, then by all means, DO IT! Maybe you don’t use it so much now, but don’t be shy. Step up and step out of the shadows. It may not be in your immediate workplace, but there are plenty of opportunities out there for those that want them. If leadership is your power and the office doesn’t have a need for that right now, then find a non-profit that needs volunteer board members or directors.
Garold (Gary) Markle is the creator of Catalytic Coaching and author of Catalytic Coaching: The End of the Performance Review. He brings real world experience from 17 years in HR leadership, over 23 years in Senior Leadership, and over 20 years of teaching organizations how to cultivate their leadership and ditch their detrimental performance reviews for a proven Coaching process.
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