I love asking people what their superpowers are.
It’s a cracking opening gambit, particularly over a few drinks.
I’ve learned all sorts of amazing things about the people I work with.
One colleague can guess the price of any banana by simply weighing it in her hands.
Another knows exactly where they are on their commute without looking out of the windows of the bus.
Since an early age I have been able to throw cricket balls unfeasibly long distances.
All good stuff!
It’s a really useful question to consider from a work perspective too.
Your superpowers are the things you find easy, that other people value and find very hard to do themselves.
Perhaps you find it really easy to build rapport with people or you might be completely un-phased by giving presentations to large groups of people.
Knowing what your superpowers are is a superpower in its own right.
I’ve started to adapt it further when interviewing senior stakeholders about their business strategy.
I simply ask “What is your organisational superpower that your customers value and your competitors find really hard to do themselves?”.
It’s a nice way to liven up what can sometimes be quite dry conversations.
Businesses should not only be trying to get better at the things they do badly, but also to optimise their superpowers – as it is these that their competitors will always find so much harder to match.
Take a moment to think about your own superpowers and ask your colleagues about theirs too.
You may never look at them in the same way again!
