I have been playing with this concept of Superpowers for almost a decade.  I first had an epiphany about this when I pointed out to my uber-talented client, Emily, that her approach to Networking was a Superpower.  Her initial response was “What?!?!”

As it turns out, she didn’t think her approach was that special.  “Doesn’t everybody do it this way?”, she asked.  “It’s just common sense”.  Maybe it was to her, but for most coaches, networking is mystifying, uncomfortable and a “have to” instead of a “want to”.  I helped her see that her approach was mind blowing for most of her clients.  Fast forward and now it’s become part of her Signature Program.  But 9 years ago it was something that was so easy for her it seemed like no big deal.  She had mastered the art of networking and didn’t even realize it, even though anyone who witnessed her in action at a networking event did.

Each one of us has Superpowers that are uniquely ours that we bring to our work and our world.  These Superpowers are the strengths and skills that we have at the level of mastery. What’s interesting about Superpowers is that they are so much a part of us that they are typically an unconscious competency.  We may be aware to some extent that it’s a strength but have an unconsciousness to what degree it is a strength because it’s something we can do with our hands tied behind our back and a blindfold on.  In other words, it comes easy to us and we often may make the assumption that because it’s easy, it’s not that special.  To those people in our lives, however, they can see our Superpowers much more clearly.  Simply asking those people that know us well that are our “fans” is a great way to help you identify your Superpowers.

How can this help my business?

The combination of your individual Superpowers makes you uniquely brilliant in this world.  Your Superpowers are what makes you that unique snowflake in a sky full of snowflakes.

Knowing your Superpowers can bring power to your brand identity & voice, your offerings, your messaging, and even identifying what you will or will not do in your business.  But most of all, it will have you stand out for your unique brilliance. Your Superpowers make you the special coach that you are. No other coach on the planet has the same set of Superpowers that you have.

How do I start to identify my Superpowers?

As I said above, simply asking those people that know us well and are our “fans” can give us insight into how others view us.  You can do this verbally, by email, DMs, you name it.  Just modify this simple template below so that it feels true to your voice and true to the way you choose to deliver this request. I would ask at least 5 people but 10 would be even more helpful.  In particular, I would ask former clients and current clients that you know adore you.  It can also be useful to ask former co-workers if you are newer to coaching.  Asking a few friends can also be valuable, especially if you’ve worked with them at some point in your friendship.

If you are feeling shy about making this request, remember this: it will be a really fun experience for you to receive feedback on how your people see you and your unique brilliance. It will fill your cup until it runneth over, so ask as many people as you can and bask in the reflections you will receive.

You likely will be surprised by some of what you hear because often we think our Superpowers are “no big deal” because for us, they come easily.  If other people think they are “big deals”, trust it.

Simple template for a script

As you [may] know, I’m working on building out [or elevating] my coaching business.  Part of my process is really identifying my strengths and Superpowers so I can infuse it into my brand identity & voice, my offerings, my messaging and my business strategy.  Since you know me [and my work] so well, I would love to ask you what you think my Superpowers are – meaning those “things” at which I am extraordinary, or those characteristics that you view as extraordinary from your experience of me.  Would you be willing to share what sticks out in your mind as my Superpowers?

Thank  you.  This will be incredibly helpful for me to understand how the people who know and appreciate me perceive me and help me shape my business as a result. 

Collecting the info and looking for Themes

If you are having a conversation, you may want to record it in some way (either on your phone or by taking detailed notes) so you don’t forget how they describe it, especially since this may be something that gets infused in your messaging down the road.  I would recommend collecting any written notes into one document where you can highlight the themes in different colors so you can visually see the continuity of the themes.

If you are getting emails, DMs, or other written responses, I would also collect them all into one document and also do the highlighting as mentioned above.

If you hear themes that don’t resonate with you or that you don’t think are a “big deal”, definitely don’t dismiss it right away.  I’d encourage you to discuss and digest it with your coach or a colleague who knows you well.  Ultimately the goal is to claim a list of Superpowers that you want to infuse into your brand and work.

As I often say “just because you “can” doesn’t mean you “should”.”  There may be Superpowers others observe in you that you don’t want to infuse into your business for some reason.  It’s important that our brand is authentic because trust is such a huge part of why people hire coaches. With that said, if several people say a Superpower is something that doesn’t feel relevant to your business, as an example that you are an amazing singer, than just know that your “fans” see all of you and revel in that.  You needn’t become the coach that infuses singing into their work if that doesn’t resonate with you!

I’m curious what you think and feel about this concept of Superpowers?  Does it resonate with you?  How could identifying your Superpowers transform your business? I would love to hear from you!

With appreciation,

Tara Butler Floch