Superpowers

I Have a Superpower

It seems a bit presumptuous to say, but it’s true. My superpower is the ability to see the forest and the trees. I can also lead groups of people through the forest and keep us together without getting eaten by wolves. Metaphors to the side, I know that I have the ability to see a bigger picture and navigate it, generally with a group of like-minded people.

I make mistakes; superpowers are not perfect. (Hello, Ironman?) Yet, now I feel comfortable with my superpower even if others don’t. And I can assure you, they do not. When you can see the forest, the trees, the blight, and all the poachers, it can make people uncomfortable. Especially if you talk about it. However, it can also be a guiding light through the darkness of chaos, if someone can see that positive ending.

Using a Superpower

What good is a superpower if you don’t communicate or use it? Not much. For my superpower, which I would call perspective, I can generally see things that are about to crash into that forest or things that might even devastate the forest. I can also redirect negative ideas towards positive goals. I do my best to provide that information in a way that it can be heard and acted upon. It doesn’t always work but that’s okay. Sometimes recognizing your superpower means that you don’t need to use it, and others may not always want it.

Case in point: Years ago, I had a colleague who was hiring a new manager. We both interviewed this person and he was looking for an immediate body to fill a spot. I knew my colleague fairly well, his capacities and tolerances as well as his foibles. I knew that this new hire would soon surpass his ability to manage and lead, and his predilection to not mentoring new hires beyond a certain point would be a frustration to this new hire. This new hire was going to take about four or five years and then surpass my colleague in his ability to lead them. I thought, “Do I say something? Or let it drop?” I said something but it fell on deaf ears. As it happened, the frustration happened, and it was painful to watch, on many sides.

Superpowers can be frustrating when you aren’t able to help.

You Have a Superpower!

You have a superpower, too. I guarantee it. It’s that thing that is essential to who you are, something that you feel is effortless and easy, that you would not be you without it. It could be that you have the gift of honestly or creativity, or an appreciation of the finer things in life. Your superpower may be the love of learning and a voracious curiosity, resulting in new innovations and ways of seeing things. You may have the ability to show kindness where others struggle, thereby helping them see a positive side of human behavior. Superpowers are effortless for you and may be terribly difficult for others.

Learning your superpower might take years of experience or it might be something you’ve known how to do from your youth. What you do with that superpower decides your happiness and satisfaction with your career, your family and friends, and your community. Superpowers are not simply one thing but a combination of several values and character traits that make you uniquely you. It pays to discover and know them because you never know when you might be called on to handle the exact crisis you were born to resolve.

You Can’t Harness Your Superpower Alone

child looking at shadow of superpower self

The new hire’s story turned out well, in the end. She learned that you may need to look beyond your direct manager for mentoring and guidance, sometimes if you actually want to be successful with that same manager. No one person can have all the answers for you and no one person can help you develop your superpower. Once you recognize it, you need help. Whether you have a coach, mentor, confidant, consultant or advisor, find someone who understands your superpower, and let them guide you. Then, let your light shine! The world will be a better place in the glow of that light.