Do You Know Your Superpowers?

United States, 1992.

I believe that everyone has superpowers. For me, superpowers aren’t the powers in comic books, like flying. Instead, they are the set of activities and tasks you really enjoy and are really good at. Some superpowers appear to be innate, like someone born with the love of puzzle-solving that makes her a great software developer. Other superpowers are developed, such as a musician whose “genius” comes in part from tens of thousands of hours of practice.

Knowing your personal superpowers can be the secret to a happy and successful career, making you a better leader and helping you find a job where you will thrive. But discovering your personal superpowers can be difficult. Since your superpowers are activities that you are especially good at (and thus, might find easy) and enjoy (and thus, might not think of as “work”), it can sometimes be hard to realize that others don’t find the activities as easy or enjoyable, and that you bring something special to such tasks.

One of my favorite exercises to help people discover their superpowers is to ask them to write a Top Ten list of when they have enjoyed an activity. The activities don’t need to be work-related, and I suggest including at least two activities from childhood. Why don’t you try it now? 

Start finding your superpowers by making a list of activities you enjoy.

Once you have your list, the next step is to look at each item and ask yourself some questions about why the item is on the list. You can do this step by yourself, but you will often find additional insights if you share the exercise with another person. The questions you should ask include: What did you enjoy about the activity? What skills did you uniquely bring to the activity? And what made you uniquely able to succeed at the activity?

If you answer these questions for each item on your list, you may start to see patterns and repetitions that can point you towards your superpower. And even the answer to a single question can start you in the right direction. For example, three different people might put “riding a bike” as one of the activities they enjoy the most. On the surface, they might seem similar. But when asked why they like riding a bike, there might be three quite different answers. One might say “I love the competition, I love to win, I love practicing every day to get better and better.”  The second might say “I love the feel of the cool rush of wind on my face, hearing the crunch of the pine needles under my tires, and range of smells in the outdoors.” Finally, the third might say “Well, actually all my friends love riding bikes and I love hanging out with my friends and so I ride my bike.” 

These three different answers to a single question gives three different areas to investigate in the search for each person’s superpower.  The first likes mastery, and will do well when challenged to get better and better, and needs tangible goals.  She might want to look at project work where she can get those needs met while developing mastery of a subject.  The second person speaks of experiencing the world in a very kinetic way.  So he should look for tasks that use his five senses, and should avoid sitting at a desk all day.  The third person is influenced by the people around her.  She needs to make sure she chooses a workplace with people she will enjoy.

While looking at a single answer isn’t enough to discover these people’s superpowers, it is already giving insight into the careers they need. Looking at the answers for all ten activities, and seeing the themes that develop, can often provide the insights you need to discover your superpower. And once you have that, you can start putting it to work, by looking for a career path where you can be a superhero and shine.