There’s a really amusing trick I’ve discovered. Whenever one of my clients is profoundly agitated (read: steam emitting from ears) because someone on their team NEVER does a certain task in the ‘right’ way, I know I have struck gold. This task is my client’s superpower.
A superpower is something you do with such ease and ability it’s like breathing. It’s so second nature that it doesn’t even occur to you that it’s a talent, or that other people can’t do it just as easily.
HUGE HINT: If you are always annoyed at the way someone else does a certain thing and you want to snatch it away from them so you can do it ‘right,’ hello – that’s probably your superpower.
Knowing your superpowers makes life in the work world so much smoother. It lets you focus on the things that come most naturally to you, and it makes you far more compassionate when others try to do them.
If, for example, you are a marketing director who is a wizard at editing, I promise you, you will be unable to stop yourself from re-editing content that was already edited by someone else.
It will be far more efficient and harmonious for everyone if you simply assign yourself the task of editing and re-organize your team accordingly.
If you’re a sales manager who is genius at closing deals ... FOCUS ON CLOSING. Please. Save yourself and everyone else the aggravation of trying to do it as well as you.
If you can’t do all the closing, you need to scale your team with others who have this superpower. Let those who are great at getting the first meeting and building relationships focus on these tasks ... these are different but equally awesome superpowers.
Most people have roughly 3 true superpowers. So pay close attention to your irritation level. It could be a potent insight into who you are and what makes you remarkable.
Need to leverage your superpowers? Check out Lisa’s book LEAD.