Our superheroes live in galaxies far, far, away, or are comic book characters, like, Thor, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Captain America, which trace their roots back to original Norse myths, or from legendary comic books, but now exist in a modern world. They engage in some great struggle, usually a classic battle between good and evil, and along the way, they provide us indirect guidance on how to understand our lives.
Think about the superheroes you enjoy watching. Most have one or two things they excel at more than anyone else. Some have great strength, like the Hulk, while others have cleverness or true and courageous leadership.
Did you know that superpowers really exist? You can develop your own amazing and exceptional powers; I speak about those that may help you to do something even more extraordinary. They can make you a better leader.
“Heroes are made by the path they choose, not the powers they are graced with.” – Brodi Ashton
There are many superpowers that you can develop. The wonderful thing about these superpowers is that everyone has the capability to do so. You don’t need to fill any prerequisites or have certain physical or mental skills to possess any of these superpowers, they are free to anyone. All you need to do is to recognize your inherent talents and nurture them.
“When you know what you consist of and what you want to make of it, then you can invent yourself.” Warren Bennis
Here are a few of the superpowers to consider:
- Humility
- Gratitude
- Listener
- Being a good follower
- Being a lifelong learner
- Selflessness
Less “I” and more “We”
Humility: this is the most difficult superpower to obtain, yet the greatest that anyone can possess. Humility can become your set of armor, guarding you from negativity. It is the quality of being unassuming and having an awareness of your place in the universe. You cannot buy humility and you cannot gift it. Humility is about who you are, how you define yourself, and how you act.
Humility matters in leaders and we all need to understand it better. The most effective leaders are humble. They get it. They use less “I” and more “we.” No one gets anywhere alone; many have invested in you. You may think you achieve success solely on your own merits, but the world we live in today is the product of many who came before you.
This superpower is a choice and a secret to success. It does not imply a lack of ambition; you can be humble and ambitious. Humble ambition is the goal. Develop an attitude of humble ambition to do something for the greater good. There can be no leadership without ambition but focus your ambition on the team’s goals rather than proudly serving yourself.
An Attitude of Gratitude
Possessing an attitude of Gratitude is another wonderful superpower, it is the quality of being thankful and a readiness to show appreciation for, and to return kindness. Being grateful and developing this attitude rewires your brain into a more positive one, and improves your mental health, the ability to sleep, and your self-esteem.
“It is not happy people who are thankful. It is thankful people who are happy.”
Robert A. Emmons, a leader in the study of positive psychology and professor at the University of California-Davis, has studied and written about the power of being grateful. He “discovered that gratitude is a deeper, more complex phenomenon that plays a critical role in human happiness. Gratitude is literally one of the few things that can measurably change people’s lives.”
You cannot be grateful and anxious at the same time. Focus on the positive and you can cancel out the negative. You cannot think negatively and be a positive person. Feelings of resentment and unhappiness are self-inflicted. No one can make you happy or unhappy. Only you can do that. Make thankfulness a habit by practicing today, you can express it verbally, or keep a journal and record all that you have to be thankful for.
An Understanding Heart
Empathy is to have an understanding heart and share the feelings of another. It is not sympathy, which is feeling sorry for someone else. It is not being soft. The Army field manual on leadership development, FM6-22 challenges leaders:
“Do you show empathy? Do you consider the situation of others relating to their challenges?” Empathy is defined as the ability to share and understand someone else’s feelings. The capacity for empathy is an important attribute for leaders to possess. Empathy allows leaders to understand how their actions will make others feel and react. Empathy can help leaders to understand those that they deal with other soldiers, Army civilians, the local populace, and even enemy forces. Being able to see from another’s viewpoint enables a leader to understand those around them better.”
Without empathy, just like a plant without water, the relationship between the leader and the team will wither and die. Empathy is about understanding human beings and what drives them and can help create successful relationships, reduce anxiety, and raise emotional intelligence.
In one of my recent books, “Leadership Rising”, you can find tools o how to improve your emotional intelligence.
Listen Completely
“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” Ernest Hemingway
Listening is a skill most of us need to improve, so why not make it your superpower? Active listening is a skill you can learn. Being in the moment, listening intently, and not allowing anything to distract you from listening to the person who is communicating with you, is the greatest honor you can bestow upon another person.
What does listening require? You need a clear mind of your personal thoughts and focus solely on the person you wish to listen to. Give your full attention. Develop an attitude of directed, disciplined, and active thinking.
Active listening builds trust and rapport. People want you to hear them, and active listeners address this need by paying full attention to the speaker. It also shares understanding by directing the listener’s focus outward from self, providing the listener with the opportunity to learn a new perspective. Active listeners do not interrupt.
Here is a simple equation that may help you improve your listening superpower:
Being a Good Follower
This may sound counterintuitive, but it is not. To be an effective leader, you must first be a good follower. All of us follow someone. Leadership is not about shouting orders and always being in charge, it requires discipline, dedication, and obedience. Good followers are in high demand, so if you want to increase your influence on any team, be the best follower on the team.
When you exhibit a positive and supportive attitude, you are practicing leadership as you are setting an example for others to follow. All leadership is by example, and when you set the example, you influence those around you to do the same.
“To be an effective leader, you must first be a good follower.” John Antal
If being a good follower is training to become an outstanding leader, and if you must learn to obey orders before you are qualified to give them, then the example you set for your team when you are a good follower shows everyone your commitment to the team.
Lifelong Learning
Leaders read to ignite their creativity, empower motivation, and unlock their potential. The greatest leaders throughout history have been relentless in their pursuit of knowledge. Becoming a lifelong learner means that you are teachable. You learn from experience and seek knowledge, not to be a know-it-all, but to be a learn-it-all, with the intent of applying that knowledge for some greater good.
Educate yourself and read to lead. Read on a daily basis, even if it is only a single page. If you read for 45 minutes a day, at an average reading rate, you will be able to complete four to five books per month. Reading is not your only resource in developing the superpower of lifelong learning. If you want to learn a new skill, take an online learning course, or find an in-classroom course, in our website www.leadershiprising.net you can find our online courses and a free 45-minute live session, you can also find someone who is an expert at the skill you wish to learn and ask them to teach you. We also have a one-on-one learning course you can book with me.
Selflessness
We admire selflessness and dislike selfishness. This tendency has been bred into humanity over millennia as we formed teams to survive and thrive. Selfish people, who did not share with the tribe, were usually excluded from the group. Teamwork, therefore, is a human quality that has evolved with humanity. Teamwork requires a degree of selflessness from everyone in the group, but especially from the leader.
“If you are a selfless leader, who puts the benefit of your team member above yourself, you enhance your ability to inspire everyone to do more than just the bare minimum.”
Selflessness, therefore, is a superpower you can exhibit. To own it, you have to sacrifice on behalf of those you lead. This is one of the reasons effective leadership is so challenging, and also why it is rare. Make selflessness your superpower.
Now that you know what you want to be better at. Make these your superpowers. Take small steps every day to improve these skills, and they will help propel you along your leadership path.