They say the path to success is paved with failures.
A sudden incident can be enough to make you feel like your leadership skills have vanished into thin air.
Don’t fret. They’re not gone. You need to channel your inner superhero and develop your hidden leadership skills. Who knows? They might be lying deep inside your own genes, human or superhuman.
Time to let it all come out!
But first…
What are the most important leadership skills?
There’s no such thing as an official term or formula, either on how to get leadership skills or on learning to be a good leader. So, how do you do it? Before you do anything else, you have to identify all the qualities of a good leader.
Let’s do just that. Let’s take a look at some leadership skills:
- Trustworthiness
- Positivity
- Connectivity
- Responsibility
- Creativity
- Innovation
- Commitment
- Awareness
- Flexibility and more
You might not see yourself along the lines of these traits, but don’t fuss! Some superheroes aren’t born, they’re made. And that’s exactly the case for leadership skills. And leadership training.
In this post, we’re exploring how seven of your favorite superheroes can inspire you to grow into a true leader.
1. Professor Charles Xavier and his relationship-building skills
If it weren’t for Professor Xavier, the X-Men wouldn’t have been formed, Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters would have never opened, and the world wouldn’t have been saved a dozen times.
All this only happened because Xavier is one of the best at promoting teamwork and coordinating a diverse team of superheroes. The mutants come from different backgrounds, but this is hardly a problem for Professor X. By understanding and respecting everyone’s sundry background, he can talk to each of them keeping in mind their own needs and fears.
This is a massive lesson for aspiring leaders. If you want your team to admire you, you need to be able to unite them and provide them with a common goal. A leader can inspire people by making them feel part of a wholeness in which, at the same time, they can grow as individuals.
Helen Keller said: “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
This is precisely the cultural foundation every leader should build on.
2. Iron Man and his power to invest in innovative technologies
A moment of silence, please.
To all the times THE Amazing Tony Stark was the coolest, most positive (oh, another professional leadership skill), restless superhero in the Marvel universe. Okay. Back to our topic.
In an ever-changing world, real leaders are expected to join the wave of progression. Those who consider themselves leaders need to keep up with all the latest tech trends.
Technology, today, is able to inspire people, promote teamwork, or even develop a medium worker into a great professional. Productivity apps and teamwork software are just a few of the many technologies leaders could use to transform a mid-sized company into a big corporation, where everything is connected and works like clockwork.
Stark lives and breathes technology. His super abilities are 100 percent dependent on it, for God’s sake! This is what technology can do: Turn a human into a real superhero.
3. Wonder Woman: The definition of discipline and responsibility
We know what you’re going to say. Wonder Woman is a Goddess, so it doesn’t count. Well, Goddess or not, she’s a productivity freak!
She’s never late for her sword fighting class, she takes kick-boxing (-ish?) and horse-riding lessons, she sleeps early, and has saved the world more than once.
Wonder Woman is disciplined, responsible, and committed to her goals. And she has managed to master these different leadership skills by mastering herself.
By following a schedule, you will not only manage to achieve some excellent work-life balance, but you will also work as a notable role model for your employees. They might need some inspiration from you.
So, please, be like Wonder Woman.
4. Batman: Because being aware of your weaknesses matters
Just in case you didn’t know, as a young boy, Batman was terrified of bats. And this is exactly why he became one. Pretty badass, right?
More than this, it’s another excellent example of good leadership skills, because he isn’t only aware of his weakness, but he also tries to embrace it and overcome it.
Knowing your weakness equals recognizing the exact areas you have the power to improve. No matter its nature, you can acknowledge it, understand it, and embrace it, so it stops being a setback for your goals.
And, who knows? Maybe you can even turn it into a strength – just like Batman.
5. Aquaman is committed to a niche like nobody’s business
We need to address the elephant in the room. Aquaman sucks.
Sorry, but he does!
But in a world that puts you under the microscope, criticism is inevitable. Aquaman knows people make fun of him, but he just doesn’t care. He stays true to his objectives, keeps following his dreams, and never gives up. And this is why he’s so huge at the moment!
If you want to become a leader, persistence is key. Get a handle on your niche, keep practicing it, and shut your ears to projected criticism. A real leader shouldn’t be vulnerable to what people say. On the other hand, leaders should welcome constructive criticism as an effective medium to evolve.
Exactly like Aquaman does.
6. Superman is a flexible time-management freak
Superheroes are all super. We know. Huuuuge news!
But Superman is not just a flying, invincible hero–he also has a normal life. As Clark Kent, he has to go to work every day, do paperwork, pay taxes, etc. As Superman, he has to save the world.
All at the same time!
We don’t know whether it’s bullet journaling or some cool productivity app, but it works!
Time management is an important skill, both for a leader and a human (or superhuman) being in general. Leaders should always spend time wisely.
All leaders are huge time savers. Start saying “no” to things that might consume your time and won’t offer you anything. Stay away from social media during work and put your phone on mute to focus on the actual job.
Create lists, try apps, do whatever it takes to help yourself get more things done faster. You can thank us later!
7. Captain America: The most trustworthy superhero in existence
Captain America is a super soldier fighting for his country. And this is why we trust in him.
He’s fought monsters, freed soldiers, saved the nation. From stopping rockets to putting wars to an end, Captain America is the person a whole nation turns to in times of need. So, how can we not trust him?
You can be a great communicator, a high-tech junkie, even Bill Gates himself. If you aren’t highly trusted, nothing else matters. If your employees don’t trust you, they’ll never engage with your company and goals, they won’t be of any help in a time of crisis and, ultimately, they’ll start leaving.
Huge heads-up, though! People aren’t going to trust you just because you have a managerial position or a fancy title. Trust is earned–usually, after your employees believe you are consistent, committed, and capable.
Over to you
So, now you know what leadership ability is. Did we miss any of your favorite superheroes with significant leadership skills? Let us know in the comments below.
| Tags: Soft Skills Development
