Why do you need to know about your superpower?

First let me start off with my journey on how I came to identify my superpowers and what I do periodically (yes, it’s a habit now). It has been a while since this happened … I was actively interviewing at that time. Interestingly, two as-appropriate (AA) interviewers from two different companies asked me a similar question – what is my superpower? You may have seen other variations of this like “what are your strengths” or “what is your greatest asset”. I did get both the offers, not sure how because I definitely did not ace this question for sure. I’ll be very candid that the question did trip me. Here I was, a generally prepared interviewee, I had mentally expected few behavioral questions and had run through them – but wasn’t prepared for this. Designing an entire system, solving a new problem was definitely easier. Talking about red-black trees and computational complexity, or even the travelling salesman problem felt easier ??. I could go on about interviewing and interview questions (but that’s a different topic). In my standard retrospective habit, I was noodling on “why was it difficult for me to answer this question and what would I do differently if I’m asked this again?” mode … I came up with some reasonable and honest answers for the latter but was not convinced about the former so much. “Why did the interviewer ask this and why did it trip me?” – was constantly coming up in mind. I knew why it tripped me – I had not consciously done that introspection to identify my strengths at that time. I had built good muscle on figuring out where I needed to improve all the time but don’t spend nearly enough or any time to appreciate what I’m good at. I almost kept taking it for granted.

I’ll come back to why interviewers ask this in a bit and how you can be prepared too. Second, let me share with you how I broke the spell. People know me as a morning person and to be honest some of my best thinking happens and ideas come to mind in the mornings. I was driving my older kiddo to school one morning. Few minutes into the drive, I had an epiphany. I figured out why this is so important and wanted to share that with my older one. Instead of telling her what I felt, I asked her “what is your superpower and why do you think you need to know what it is”. She is always patient when I have these moments and she humors me. I said you don’t have to tell me what it is, but you should think about it. It will help you. And I went on to elaborate. Let’s say you were sailing a ship, and you needed to go east, but there are so many factors affecting your trajectory and they are pulling you west. Knowing your superpower is your leverage. It’ll help you beat the odds, use your strengths to your vantage, and steer yourself to where you want to go. Life isn’t easy, and there are always odds stacked against you. But whether you succumb to the pressure or navigate victoriously depends on not only tactical awareness about the surroundings but self-awareness too. That is why this is important, imo. Whether she enjoyed this convo as much as I did, whether she took something out of it, whether it will help her someday in the future – I don’t know and I don’t think about those. I’ve helped myself and I’ve made her aware. What she does with it is her choice. I’m doing the same here – sharing what I know here in hopes it might help someone.

Now, let’s talk about interviewers. Interviewers ask these questions for a variety of reasons – to know more about your personality, your ability to think on your feet, self-awareness, honesty, learn more about you and what you bring to the table, or sometimes to help steer the interview in a direction. But whether it is asked in an interview or not, I highly recommend folks to introspect.

So, after that morning, I changed my approach post-meetings. I always used to ask myself what I would do differently. I started consciously asking myself first “what did I do well?” and then “what would I do differently?”. This habit has honestly helped me from being overly self-critical. It has increased my self-awareness on things which I do “do well” and should continue, in addition to things which I need to improve on.

If you are in that state of not knowing what your superpower is like I did, here is a guide to navigate these uncharted waters. A superpower is your unique ability or talent that makes you special. It makes you, well, you. Everyone has superpowers. Some people are very creative, some are very organized, some are good listeners, some have amazing tenacity and never give up, some have great empathy and can make others feel comfortable or open up easily, etc. These are all examples of superpowers that can help you achieve goals and make a positive impact on the world around you. But how do you discover your superpower? And how do you use it to your advantage?

How to find your superpowers?

It may seem daunting but it’s really not as hard as it seems. You need to think about it deliberately, pay attention to what you enjoy doing, what you are good at, and what makes you feel fulfilled. Here are some steps to help you identify your superpowers:

• Think about your hobbies and interests. What do you like to do in your free time (if you get any)? What makes you happy and excited? What are you passionate about?
• Think about your strengths and skills. What are you good at? What do you learn easily? What do you excel at in school or work?
• Think about your values and personality. What are you proud of? What are you curious about? What are you motivated by?
• Think about the feedback or compliments you usually receive. What do other people say about you? What do they appreciate about you? What do they ask you for help with?
• Think about your challenges and opportunities. What are you struggling with? What do you want to improve? What do you want to achieve?

These may feel like similar questions or your answers may be the same. You don’t have to answer all of these in one go. Actually, quite the opposite. Try to pen these down at different times. Do this observation over a period of time. Then, it may make it easier to identify your superpower. Remember, this is a soul-searching journey to have a more fulfilling experience. After observing over a period of time, see if you see patterns, can group and rank the list, and then identify 3-4 superpowers you can leverage.

It is usually either something that you love, care or are passionate about; or something that you are really good at; or maybe quality that others recognize in you; but most importantly it’s something that you can use to overcome obstacles and reach your potential.

How to use your superpower

Once you have found your superpower, you can use it to your advantage in different aspects of your life. Here are some ways you can use your superpower:

• Pursue your goals – be it in personal or professional life
• Help others – yes, you can use your superpower to help make a positive difference in the world.
• Express yourself – leverage it to show the world your true self, show who you are, and what you stand for
• Grow and learn – you can use it to improve yourself and expand your horizons
• Increase your confidence – having that self-awareness can help you be more confident in what you do and help develop that sense of fulfillment

You can enrich yourself and also inspire others. If it helps you in your next interview that’s a bonus. But the daily use and benefits far outweigh the effort needed in identifying them. Remember to use the ones that map to your innate qualities and abilities. It doesn’t have to be anything super flowy. Usually, it’s simple, straightforward, and authentic.

Conclusion

Everyone has superpowers

Everyone has superpower(s) that makes them unique and valuable. Finding your superpower is just a matter of paying attention to what you enjoy, what you are good at, what you care about, and what others appreciate about you. And using your superpower is a matter of applying it to your goals, your relationships, your self-expression, and your growth. By finding and using your superpower, you can make the most of your potential and make the world a better place.