You have a superpower. Yes, you do. Each of us has an ability – a core strength – that stands out above the norm. You might even have multiple superpowers.
Knowing your superpower allows you to emphasize your strengths, which is vital to career advancement.
Discovering Your Superpower
Discover your superpower by answering the following questions. Then drill down to your top superpower which highlights the strength that you want to leverage to shape your career and drive your career advancement.
Listen
What have people told you you’re good at? Have multiple people said the same thing? Chances are that’s your superpower. For example, do people compliment you on your ability to facilitate difficult conversations, manage complex projects, lead in difficult situations? In future conversations, listen to what people say about your abilities and take note.
Ask
Ask your manager, coworkers, colleagues and mentors what they think your superpower, or core strength, might be. They often will identify superpowers you never would have considered.
Think
What do you think your superpower is? What comes easy to you that you notice others struggle with? What types of roles or tasks do you readily take on as they align with your strengths?
Explore
CareerLeader, Myers Briggs Type Indicator and other leadership skills inventories provide valuable insights into your strengths. At JL Careers, we can provide a variety of career assessment tools to help you clarify your strengths and build a compelling career brand that helps you advance your career. In other words, we can help you discover and leverage your superpower!
Consult a Career Coach
If you are having trouble figuring out your superpower and would like to learn more about your abilities, then talking to a career coach is a great idea. A career coach will be able to professionally assess your strengths and weaknesses and help guide you to a career path that works best for you. Read more in: Getting More of What You Want in Your Career
Completing Your List
You should now have a list of your potential superpowers. Review your list and determine which superpowers you are most drawn to and enthusiastic about. Refine your list into one or two superpowers that are most important to you and you wish to leverage in your career.
Harnessing Your Superpower
Now that you know what your superpower is, how do you use it?
Advance Your Career by Demonstrating Your Strengths
Using your superpower in the workplace is a great way to improve your strengths and to demonstrate to your manager what you’re capable of doing. The more you can cultivate your superpower, the more you will stand out in your workplace. The more you stand out, the more career advancement opportunities may open for you.
Find Niches Within Your Career that Play to Your Strengths
Look for projects, initiatives and tasks within your job that require you to naturally draw on your superpower. Particularly choose assignments which others say ‘no’ to, but you know you excel at, and enjoy. When you take on challenges that others aren’t willing to do, or can’t do, it significantly raises your profile in your organization.
Update Your Resume
Now that you know your superpower, highlight it on your resume and LinkedIn profile. Leverage this superpower by providing examples of your achievements and successes related to using this key strength.
Further Exploration
Forbes offers great insights in its article: Cultivating Superpowers In The Workplace. It includes a chart of how superpowers can translate into the workplace. Read the: “Recognizing And Leveraging Superpowers” section.
Need Help Identifying and Leveraging Your Superpower?
Can’t clearly define your superpower? Contact us! We can help you identify your superpower and then show you how to use it to advance your career.
Author: Joanne Loberg of JL Careers Inc. is a Certified Executive Coach and Internationally Certified Career Management Professional. She has a reputation as a highly sought-after Career Consultant and she has been referred to as “an absolute expert at navigating the complex territory of career advancement.” Copyright JL Careers Inc. All rights reserved.
Wishing you much career success!
Joanne Loberg
Certified Executive Coach & Internationally Certified Career Management Professional
JL Careers Inc.
