What are your leadership superpowers?

Being a great leader means knowing, and using, your leadership superpowers. But what are yours? And why do you even need to know? Well, while you go and dig out the lycra, Sarah Brown is here to shine her bat signal and help you identify your leadership superpowers and understand the benefits. 

Leadership superpowers 

Somebody recently asked me what my leadership superpower was. I said, “I’m like a strong cup of coffee. I wake people up, energise them and get them talking.” 

Now I recognise this is not everyone’s cup of tea. Sometimes, I need to switch that power to a nice glass of water when calm is needed…and also refrain from so many drink-related anecdotes.

You see, self-awareness as a leader is vital to building and sustaining relationships. Being 100% espresso (oops) in a workshop may be conducive to that environment but it definitely wouldn’t work in a 1-1 coaching conversation.

Having the title of a leader may sound grandiose but it doesn’t define us. What defines us is our behaviours and the actions they inspire. Leadership is a skill, not a function, and in my opinion the greatest leaders are the ones who recognise there are always ways to develop and grow. 

What leadership superpowers should you be aiming for?

Leadership isn’t about creating strategy on your own and then telling others what to do. It’s not about having all the answers either. It’s about having an awareness of your strengths and development areas, as well as an understanding of the people you work with, so you can support them with their wellbeing, personal growth, and performance.

With that in mind, here are some superpowers you should look to develop

Empathy 

It’s the basis for relationships with your team. It promotes growth, and supports innovation and change. As such, it plays an important role in much of what we aim to accomplish as leaders. But can empathy be learned? While some people are naturally more empathetic than others, the short answer is, yes, with practice and feedback. 

We may have preferences and shortcuts to certain behaviours but that doesn’t mean we can’t flex and adapt. As a leader, it’s our responsibility to understand different perspectives and to listen to understand and learn, and not always just to challenge or fix. 

Vulnerability

Be vulnerable by sharing some of your most important beliefs and life experiences - Brene Brown’s book, Dare to Lead, has great advice on this. Vulnerability may feel uncomfortable at first, but it pays dividends and strengthens relationships. After all, we are just human.

Authenticity

Be authentic - you may have to flex and adapt. Even though a chameleon changes colour to adapt to its environment, it’s still a chameleon. 

Curiosity

Be curious - ask and use open-ended questions. Find out about people and their lives and perspectives. You may be surprised by what you learn, even about people you’ve known for  years. Asking questions releases serotonin too, so people will feel good when you show you’re interested. 

Your conflict triggers

As leaders, we need to understand our own values, priorities and conflict triggers too. We must also be aware of how people prefer to be communicated with and use that style, whilst also developing our people to do the same.

When we’re in conflict, we won’t have the ability to adapt to other people’s communication needs. One key leadership skill is knowing how to recognise your own conflict triggers. It’s often okay to press the pause button when a conversation isn’t going well and return when everyone involved is in the right mindset.

Building and sustaining relationships with people will promote engagement and wellbeing, and help them work better to meet both business and personal goals. For this to happen we need to continuously learn and most importantly be conscious of the impact we’re having. 

Only then can we be sure we’re using our leadership superpowers for good.  

If you need support, why not check out our Truly Human Leadership programme? Not only can it help you create the right environment for your team but it’ll also support you to identify your leadership superpowers.