I have learned a lot of leadership lessons the hard way by initially doing them wrong, and I am grateful for the knowledge that these experiences have helped me to build. One of these lessons is what to focus on when skills building and realizing that not everyone on a work team needs to be good at everything and that everyone has a Superpower that can benefit others on the team.
It's a bit counterintuitive that this lesson took me so long to figure out considering that I was a year-round athlete growing up. Take a soccer team for example. There are certain skills and rules that everyone on the team needs to know as a baseline. You need to know not to ever use your hands unless you're throwing in a ball from out of bounds or you are the goalkeeper. You need to know the basics of dribbling and passing. You need to know what types of slide tackles are legal. Beyond that, there are specialized skills. Not everyone on the team is good at taking penalty kicks or corner kicks. Only some people on the team will have the strength or skill to fly the ball down half of the length of the field in the air, and different people on the team may have the skill needed to head the ball into the goal. Everyone on the team has a different stack of skills that contribute to the team's success. The only commonality they may have is that core baseline of skills needed to enter the game.
This begs the question: on a work team, why is everyone in the same position generally expected to have the same skills and qualifications? We know that this isn't the case on sports teams, yet we tend to evaluate people on a team at a company by the same list of qualifications and skills. Why do we think so differently when a team is still a team, whether at work or in sports? Wouldn't our work teams be more productive, effective, and happy if everyone was encouraged to develop their own Superpowers instead of focusing on their weaknesses?
In various individual contributor roles and leadership roles that I've held in the past decade, I've come to realize that differences in individual skill sets, or individual Superpowers, make a team stronger. Once individuals on the team have the baseline skills required to complete the job, each person's differences in skill sets can amplify the team's capabilities and performance if we focus on emphasizing individual Superpowers instead of weaknesses.
Let's take a sales team, for example. Everyone on the team needs to have a baseline level of effective communication skills and a level of being comfortable with talking to various people throughout the day. There may also be baseline technology and contract negotiation skills necessary to succeed in the role. However, outside of these things, skill stacks and qualifications can absolutely look different from person to person. Does it really matter if someone on the team doesn't have a college degree? Is it okay if someone on the team has a strong preference for doing virtual meetings instead of in-person meetings? Does it really impact the person's potential success in the role if they don't have specific industry experience?
Lived experiences are a critically important part of a person's fabric and the individual Superpowers that can contribute to the success of a team. Yet, hiring managers and talent acquisition professionals are continually hiring according to a checklist of skills and qualifications for each role that goes far beyond the baseline skills needed to start in the role. Why do we continually limit our candidate pool by doing this? I believe that we do this because it seems safe. When we complete a checklist and make sure that an individual meets every skill and qualification, we are limiting what we believe is a risk in investing in that person. But what if we approached each interview by asking the following:
- Does the person have the minimum baseline skills needed for the role?
- If the person does not have these baseline skills, do we have the resources needed to
coach them in these areas?
- What individual quality, or Superpower, can this individual add to the team?
- How can that Superpower elevate the team's success?
Up until now, we've been looking at this through an objective lens focusing on skills and qualifications. Let's also look at it from psychological and emotional perspectives. Most leaders will agree that appreciation for an individual can positively impact their job performance. If we're focusing on each individual's Superpower and how that skill, qualification, or lived experience is positively impacting the overall team instead of focusing on the person's weaknesses, it is likely that the individual will feel more appreciated and valued. When people feel appreciated and valued, they feel better. This can positively impact job performance, overall happiness at work and outside of work, and retention. These are all things that every leader strives to achieve on a daily basis, so why wouldn't we want our team members to feel valued and appreciated every day?
I've worked with two leaders in the past decade who have reinforced this focus on individual Superpowers by using the "StrengthsFinder" book by Tom Rath. With "StrengthsFinder," the individual completes an initial assessment. That assessment then quantifies their greatest strengths or Superpowers. These Superpowers, or themes, fall into four buckets, including Strategic Thinking, Relationship Building, Influencing, and Executing. Each individual has a different ranking and mix of strengths that they bring to their professional and personal life.
When we recognize and leverage each individual's strengths in a team environment, the team as a whole can achieve more and perform at a higher level. Let's take both the previously mentioned soccer team and the sales team.
On the soccer team, the individual who knows how to kick the ball in the air for any distance becomes the star midfielder who successfully delivers the ball to the forwards regularly and holds the most assists on the team. This person's Superpower is the lower body strength and body mechanics that come with lifting the ball and kicking for distance. However, if we focused on the person's weaknesses and told them instead that they needed to develop the additional upper body strength needed to throw a soccer ball inbound, the team would lose out on the person's Superpower and a lot of additional points scored. Instead, the coach can find the individual on the team whose Superpower is upper body strength and have that person take point on inbound throws. In this situation, everyone feels better about what they are contributing to the team and feels more confident about their abilities. Each person is happier, more relaxed, and more confident. As a result, the team is more effective and collaborative and wins more games.
Let's switch to the sales team that we previously mentioned and apply the same concept of individual Superpowers to a work team environment. Everyone on the team feels comfortable reaching out to current and prospective clients and having conversations. However, imagine that there is one person on the team who regularly trains themselves on new sales and marketing technology to make the sales process more efficient and effective. That person can use their Superpower to coach others on the team on how to use technology to make their jobs easier, too, and to accomplish more in less time. Now, imagine that there is a second person on the team who is skilled at identifying up-and-coming companies through research and is a whiz at putting together prospective client target lists. That individual can use their Superpower to coach others on the team on how to find high-potential prospects. If everyone is focusing on their Superpower and exchanging their individual knowledge, the team as a whole will be more collaborative and successful.
Achieving team success through individual Superpowers is a topic that I'm very passionate about, as it creates a safer, happier, and more productive environment for everyone on the team. I will have more to come on this topic. In the meantime, the next time you're hiring for a role on your team, I encourage you to look closely into the individual's Superpowers instead of focusing on their weaknesses. It will benefit everyone in the long run.
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