What’s your superpower?
Do you have a special skill, a unique attribute, a magical force that makes you different from everyone else? Something you have honed and practiced and poured your passion into for many years? Of course you do. We all do, just that maybe you didn’t find it yet.
I grew up with cartoon superheroes, like Superman, Spiderman, The Hulk and Wonder Woman. They were all normal(ish) people who could transform into something ‘extra’. It usually involved lycra and some crappy visual effects in the 80’s but the important part was their superpower. This was the thing they did that made them special. Unique. Valuable. Many of them found / were given their powers by accident but in all cases there was a time when they had to hone their skills and find out what they could be used for.
What’s this got to do with anything hey? Well, for many years I’ve been asking interview candidates about their special skills. Framed as part of a discussion about T-shaped people https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-shaped_skills where I’ll talk about a general set of skills (communication, punctuality, organisation and so on) that is complemented by a speciality. I am always thinking about how a new hire can fit into the team. I assume they can all do what we are hiring them for - but what else do they bring? It’s doesn’t have to be the ability to cut mountains in half with a thought, it can be a simple as ‘I love to learn and share’ or ‘I can spot a lie from a helicopter’ or ‘I’m great at bringing people together’.
It can be a bit of an ambush question, very few people have a pre-prepared answer, but it always (mostly always..) results in a dialogue about the person, their interests outside of work and a better view of themselves. And that’s what I find interesting - AND it often makes the interview less formal and more friendly. I’ve hired lots of business development / sales development people over the years and getting them to talk freely and passionately about things they care about tells me a lot about how they will adapt to selling.
So, a couple of times recently I’ve been asked ‘what’s your superpower Steve?’. And it has caught me off guard (Ha! That’ll teach me). I’ve asked the question plenty of times, but rarely been asked it. I’m not sure I’ve really honed my answer yet (that’s why I’m writing this…) but I’ve formulated a framework. I’ll reveal my superpower at the end. :-)
So, a superpower has to be more than a skill (speaking French, or being able to fix a car) or a party trick (juggling, riding a unicycle or walking on your hands). A superpower (my definition) is that it should be;
Unique (or at least your version of it)
Meaningful (being able to tell if a egg is boiled or not by sniffing it could be useful but it’s not meaningful)
Makes an impact (when you execute this skill, something amazing happens)
Means something to you (you have to have passion about it, or else it’s like King Midas, you’ve got this amazing skill, but you don’t want it)
Effortless (to you)
*Feel free to add your own or disagree with me, I’ve not got the copyright on this.
You might not know what your superpower is yet, but your friends and colleagues do. This is one of the best ways to find out. The other way is to spend some time thinking about when you find yourself in ‘the zone’. When the work is ‘flowing’ and you get that ‘zen-like’ feeling that this is just so easy and I’m Getting It Done(tm).
It’s really important to find out because, otherwise (as my wife has catch-phrased) ‘what’s the point of you?’ (she doesn’t direct this at me of course, well, not often). Once you know and understand your superpower, the unique you-ness(tm) of you, then you can apply your skills to make big changes with little effort. And that (to me) sounds like an amazing way to spend your time.
Maybe I’ll run some Find Your Superpower workshops. Anyone interested?
In short - your superpower is the way that your harness your unique skills, passions and expertise to make a meaningful impact on things that matter. All the time looking cool and feeling chill.
I guess that’s all I have to say about that - you made it to the end - yay. Well done, you can have an extra merit. So, what’s my superpower? I did promise to tell. Well, I would say it’s my ability to see end-less possibilities to success from any challenge, then formulate a practical plan to get there. And my sub-power is playing improvised, ambient solo bass soundscapes.
I’m available to hire for either of the above superpowers if you wish, and can do both remotely.
Oh hey, final thought, next time you can in a job interview (as a candidate) - ask the interviewer what their superpower is. :-)
Be good, be safe, behave.
Steve.
