The Podgress Report

03 | The Superpower Discovery Framework: Energizing Work & Your Expertise

• Jen Phillips • Season 1 • Episode 3

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On this episode of The Podgress Report, host Jen Phillips isn't wearing a cape, but she *is* talking about superpowers.  We're covering a framework you can use to discover and get real crispy on your own superpowers.

We're calling it the Superpower Discovery Framework, and it's important for job seekers and anyone interested in thoughtfully developing their career to maximize their energy and earning power. And, according to Gallup research, people who know their top strengths are six times as likely to say they have the chance to do what they do best every day. Doesn’t that sound like an amazing way to go through life?

Join us here as we focus on making progress toward our healthy career "What's Next".

Episode Resources
Superpower Discovery Framework [Workbook]
Book: The Five Lost Superpowers: Why We Lose Them and How to Get Them Back John Reid (Author), Andrew Reid (Author), Corena Chase (Author), Lynae Steinhagen (Author)
Book: What Color Is Your Parachute Richard N. Bolles (Author)
Gallup State of the Global Workplace: 2024 Report 

Reach the Suicide and Crisis lifeline by dialing 988 [U.S.]

Feedback is a GIFT (share yours HERE) and Stay in Touch with The Podgress Report on IG & X

The Very Important Bottom Line
The Podgress Report does not provide medical or mental health advice. The information including but not limited to: recorded and live episodes, text, graphics, images, and any other material contained on the the podcast are for your informational purposes only.

Nothing on The Podgress Report is intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified provider. Never disregard professional medical or mental wellness advice or delay in seeking it because of something you've heard or content you've read or reviewed on this podcast.

And please, if you're under duress or considering suicide, reach out right this very minute to the Suicide and Crisis lifeline by dialing 988 in the United States.

Outside of the U.S., please reach out to helplines available to you in your country note: this link isn't owned by The Podgress Report and should not be considered exhaustive or wholly accurate.

 Jen Phillips: According to Gallup research, people who know their top strengths are six times as likely to say they have the chance to do what they do best every day. And doesn't that sound like an amazing way to go through life? Today, we're talking superpowers. From the definition of superpower to how you can today begin to identify your own superpowers.

How to craft your tagline and why having a tagline matters. Managing by example and how to be on the lookout for your villains. Believe me, every superhero has at least one nemesis.

Let's make sure you know how to stay on the lookout for yours welcome to the podcast report. I'm Jen Phillips and I can't wait to get heroic with you today

The Definition of Superpower and the 3Cs

 

Jen Phillips: so what [00:01:00] is a professional superpower anyway? What's the definition? Well, it's the intersection of. What you like to do, the things that give you energy at work and your professional expertise, what you're an expert at.

It's pinpointing the most valuable skills or the most valuable combinations of skills that define your personal professional strength.

 Maybe it's what you're known for. Maybe it's something that is very much in line with some of your greatest professional successes. It's definitely something that would be considered valuable what sets you apart, something very special about you and the work that you do. And why knowing it is so important, other than the fact that it makes you six times more likely to spend time doing it, is that it gives you the three C's. clarity, crispness, and community.

Let me break that down. 

Clarity

Jen Phillips: First, on the clarity front, before you [00:02:00] make a career move, it is incredibly powerful to understand your superpowers best to do this exercise before you make a career move. 

 in understanding your superpowers. You can evaluate your current role for its fit as well as your target roles and target role types for their success. Fit as well. 

Jen Phillips: Remember, if the goal here is to spend more time doing something that you're really, really lit up by and are very good at, then knowing what that is before you start your job search is, really powerful and helps you frame up that job search from a position of awareness.

Crispness

Jen Phillips: On the second front, the second C, crispness. If you are stuck in a virtual elevator or you have an unexpected connection with a hiring manager or somebody you find interesting that you wouldn't mind working for, you've got your cape in [00:03:00] your back pocket.

You will know what you're great at, and you will have crafted your tagline so you can pull that thing out at any time and say, here's what I'm on about and why that is meaningful to me and the benefit it will deliver to your organization.  

Community

Jen Phillips: And also it builds on your community.

In this process, you're going to be getting feedback from trusted coworkers and colleagues and loved ones, this is going to help you understand who amongst those people, you may want to ask to represent you if hiring managers or potential clients are looking for referrals because you've already asked them for their verbatims.

You know, who can really get the essence of why you're amazing really, really compelling. 

So that's the definition and why it's so important. Now let's talk about the how. 

How To: Find Your Superpowers (The Superpower Discovery Framework)

 let's talk about how you identify your superpowers. It's a process that I've been iterating on [00:04:00] since it was brought to me a number of years ago by a trusted mentor of mine, I've expanded upon it over time, 

Jen Phillips: and in the episode notes, I've created a very lo fi workbook that you can use, to go through this framework. And I'm calling the framework the Superpower Discovery Framework. And there are other ways, believe me, there are a myriad of other ways to really get into your, Professional superpowers, famously the old school, but proven "What Color is my Parachute" book and workbook is really, really powerful.

 I'm giving you a way that is something that's worked for me, but if it's not something that resonates with you, I still believe because of the research that it's important to find a framework that will work for you.

Jen Phillips: But the reason I'm recommending this way is because it is fairly simple, fairly low lift,  this podcast is meant to support people who are [00:05:00] absolutely sure their career or their job needs to change, but they are not sure what to change about it.

That is to say it's people in a fairly anxious place and that may mean you don't have the energy or the strength to take on a heavy lift. . I want you to have lo fi but effective tools first to remove the friction and lower the resistance so you take action.

 again, I've done this process a number of times. Most recently, when I was considering my last move, my exit from a fortune 500 software company, it was incredibly helpful for me each time I've done it. The lo fi resource in the show notes will follow the format and the framework that I'm going to review with you right now.

Let's go. Step. One, take stock in yourself.  

Step One: Take Stock

Jen Phillips: Step one in the superpower discovery framework that we're discussing today is taking stock in you. Making a list that [00:06:00] has essentially two columns, what you like to do, what gives you energy, what you don't like to do or be confronted with at work, what "takes your energy".

But really it's going to be specific to you. It's an incredibly personal, bespoke process and you have the freedom to write down any of the skills or the certifications or the way that you spend your time for your role that is specific to your role. It doesn't even have to be in your current role.

It could be something amazing that you love doing and you are not doing it in your current role, but you sure would like to. Now, if you are currently employed, including self employed go back through both the "gives you energy" column and the "takes your energy" column, skill by skill, and note which one of those items in each column are present in your current role.

In the job you do day in and day out, in the work you're [00:07:00] doing, is this skill found in your current role? When I did this exercise myself, the very last time that I've done it, what I found was the role that I currently had had a very large imbalance. Much of the role was in that takes my energy column and I shared this on episode one and two, I was going through some pretty comprehensive burnout and because of that exhaustion, I just didn't have the resilience to get the role to a place where that wouldn't have been a deal breaker. 

So really, really helpful. It will help you understand, Oh yeah, there's a ton of stuff that I love to do that isn't part of my current role. Or yeah, wow, there's a lot of stuff that I love to do that is in my role, but there's also the bulk of my role, which is in that takes my energy columN. Will there be things in the "takes your energy" column for any role, including [00:08:00] working for yourself?

Absolutely. There will. Absolutely, there will. Every job is going to have facets that you're not thrilled to be doing and that will be things that take your energy. What you need to find is a job that has enough of a mix and a balance that will leave you more energetic than less at the end of the day.

 Doing this really gives you that visual on is my current role actually a fit. Now, you're going to rate your skill level next. Are you a beginner? Are you an intermediate or are you expert at that skill? 

If you're an expert, do you have any certifications that are giving you proof points?

If you are an expert, is there an opportunity to get certified. So you are letting your certification speak to your expertise. 

If you're have something that gives you energy, but you're really in the intermediate stage, maybe you're taking courses or continuing education, [00:09:00] whether it's a soft skill or a hard skill to help build you and bolster you so you have more ability to grow into roles and spend more time doing the type of work. That you are interested in, but at a higher level of expertise. 

And if it's something that you are finding in your energetic column, but you are a beginner at, it's an opportunity for you to be in your own career development plan, adding that to the list as an area 

where you'd like to skill up. 

Jen Phillips: If you're working and something that you're really interested in is not in your job scope, but you'd like to build your skills. Does it make sense for your role if so, it might be something that you and your management can start to work in as a stretch project as part of your development.

If it doesn't make sense for your current role, are there people who do that thing that you know, or that your colleagues know? You could maybe ask for a virtual coffee break or join a team meeting to [00:10:00] understand a little bit about what's a day in the life look like for somebody who spends time doing that now, if you're unemployed and you're looking for work, this list begins to clarify roles. The output of this list is your first draft of not only what your superpowers are, but some of the requirements or ways that you would be spending time in a future role.

Kind of agnostic to an industry sometimes. Sometimes, some of these So you get to kind of back up from the industry or the team and think, how are these skills transferable across other areas of interest? 

You've done your first pass at your inventory. Don't stop there. You may have it exactly right, but it's a theory that you'll absolutely want to test.

Step Two: Get Feedback

 And the way that you, should test this is by getting feedback. The key To getting feedback, [00:11:00] especially for finding your superpower is don't stack the deck. What I mean when I say that is  don't share your results of the exercise with the people who you're asking for their feedback on the superpower.

Jen Phillips: Don't plant the seed, let them come to you with what they think. So when I did this, I didn't share the results from my first pass at the exercise. I simply asked. What do you think my professional superpowers are?

And if I was asked, I gave the definition, what you think makes me feel energized and what I'm very, very good at. The intersection of those two things. People totally got that and I asked a bunch of different people. People I work directly for, people who work directly for me, people who, were leaders across the company that were partners to me.

 And what happened next was a little bit of [00:12:00] hilarity really, because what I thought was my tippy tippy top, the top of the heap, superpower was mentioned exactly zero times and

the other thing that was incredibly illuminating was that everybody reported back to me what my superpower was kind of basically the same thing. These were people who I worked with over the years and spanning different roles and different departments. And it was stunning to me that they all came back with a variation of the same theme, which is basically, I'm really great at making change happen by educating people on the why, why it's important, and then relentlessly focusing the same people on that why, so we could change things, make us better, get the results we're looking for.

In other words, I drive change through education and influence. [00:13:00] And so when I heard that, I felt so excited. It sounded exciting to me because I love when that happens. That, that influence to action, influence to impact moment. And it is true. It's true. Some of my biggest professional wins along the years of my career. Were changes that I drove through educating and getting everyone aligned to make a difference. 

 And that thing, that thing was not even on my MVP list. Really, it felt like something everybody should be able to do, something that's not really "write down-able".

 But in hearing it from so many people, I realized it's rare and it is something that excites me. 

Then I started thinking about the rare superpowers of the people I've had the opportunity to work with over the years. [00:14:00] And they're amazing. Superpowers also weren't exactly "write down-able". 

For example, an analyst who is the most phenomenal data driven storyteller I have ever seen. She was able to hold court with her stakeholders through even the driest data by making it contextually rich and telling an epic tale. 

A CMO who could get the entire team to buy into change through diabolically effective communications. This person was great at the most concise way of saying a thing. And I will never forget that. I learned so much from them. 

And the sales leader who prepped for big meetings and walked in with audacious asked for incremental business and won and never had a plan B. because he knew it was the right thing and the only thing he wanted to talk to the customer about.

So those things are also kind of not "write [00:15:00] down-able" and not my first pass at what I would have written down as skills, but they are compelling and they are rare and I have seen them in action and they are a bit of a, "cape-worthy" moment.

So a superpower can be something that's core to the role that the person has, or it can be a soft skill that makes it better working for the company, the team, the project just by having that person aligned to it.

And what others know your superpower is. might not match your understanding. So don't skip the step of getting the feedback because it may be very eyeopening for you.

 I also want to call out that in the workbook, I have added five skills I believe are incredibly important, [00:16:00] especially for managers or aspiring managers. These superpowers are from a book called the five lost superpowers, why we lose them and how to get them back. It's written by John Reed, Andrew Reed, Corinna Chase, and Linnaeus Steinhagen.

Jen Phillips: And that book is also linked in the notes. Those five lost superpowers are curiosity, Authenticity, resilience, compassion, and playfulness. And I want you, especially if you have current management responsibility or aspire to be a manager, I want you to get invested in understanding where you stand with those five superpowers because Gallup's newest state of the global workplace report, 

I'm recording this in the middle of June in 2024. It came out just this week. This report found that effective, [00:17:00] engaged management directly relates to employee engagement and employee engagement directly relates to the company's bottom line through a number of different ways, but including decreased turnover, decreased theft, decreased safety incidents, and a ton of other business benefits.

Simply put, better leaders, leaders with these superpowers create a better work environment. So I've included those five lost superpowers in the workbook for you to consider and give yourself a rating on your level of expertise in each.

Okay, so now what do we do now? we have assessed ourselves. We have gotten feedback. We have started to think through our management and leadership superpowers. We have our own take on what our superpower is.

  Take stock in how the feedback that [00:18:00] you've received lines up with your own perception of your skills and your level of expertise. Do you need to update your list? You may! I did, obviously. I had things that were coming back to me that weren't even on my original list. From there, you now have a trued up list that is a blend of your original MVP and the feedback that you've learned from your colleagues

Jen Phillips: So what do we do next? It's time to craft our taglinE. 

Step Three: Your Superpower Tagline

Jen Phillips: Think about your tagline as your go to phrase that answers the question, what is my superpower? Again, this is where if somebody asks me, I say, I drive change through education and influence. mission critical changes that are good for the workforce, good for the company, and great for the customer.

This is what I want you to have in your back pocket so you can say, what your superpower is and why [00:19:00] it matters. 

If you are now finding that you're going to be looking for a job, you've gotten crisp now on what type of job people can be on the lookout for you. So when they ask the question, how can I help you? Where, what should I be on the lookout for, for yOu? you've got it on lock. You know how to have people working for you on your behalf bring that draft tagline back to your supporters for their review and potentially their revisions, their feedback. That will help make sure that you've gotten it completely right and you're ready to implement. And that's really the final step. You're going to implement your tagline.

Step Four: Implement Your Tagline

Jen Phillips: Now you've got a cape in your back pocket really resonates with you and it resonates with your supporters. Let's use it. We're going to use it across different platforms and interactions. 

 The first place that you'll put your tagline to use is in your professional profiles, your LinkedIn headline.

You can use it [00:20:00] in your slack about me or your team's profile included in your resume, included in cover letters, . You are creating something that is concise. memorable and repeatable that really quickly gets to the heart of why you 

use it in networking.

Use your tagline when you're introducing yourself at networking events, incorporated into your elevator pitch, share your tagline with your community to help them help you.

And the third place you should be using your tagline, all of your personal branding, add the tagline to your email signature, use it on personal business cards, websites.

"SEE" It in Action

 So let me put the superpower discovery framework into an example for you so you can see it in action. We're going to look at Sarah, who's an analyst passionate about problem solving and streamlined project delivery. The first step that Sarah takes is [00:21:00] identifying her superpower.

Jen Phillips: She lists her skills. She rates her expertise. She says what gives her energy, what takes her energy. And then she solicits feedback. And the feedback she receives highlights that her problem solving skills and her super effective project management are actually what others believe her superpower Is.

On self reflection.

Sarah is excited by this. She is energized because when she's creating solutions for complex project execution is when she feels she's really living. So that gives her what she needs to craft her tagline. 

She uses the keywords, problem solving, innovation, And efficient project delivery.

She combines those elements and she comes up with her first pass innovative problem solver, delivering project excellence.

She then takes kind of a nerdy twist on it and says project wizardry for real world challenges. 

She tests it and refines it [00:22:00] by sharing it with her colleagues for feedback. And their feedback comes back and she uses some of their wordsmithing and recommendations to refine it a bit.

Coming to her final draft, which is, I deliver project excellence with precision and passion. 

Then she implements her tagline. She updates her LinkedIn headline. She updates her email signature. And at the next networking event that she attends, She stands up and does her introduction and uses the tagline as a shortcut to explain what really makes her tick.

That's the framework in a nutshell. That is what I want you, the cape I want you, to have in your back pocket at all times. 

A Word About Villans

Jen Phillips: Now a word about villains. Be on the lookout for villains. Know your kryptoniTe. 

Every superhero [00:23:00] has a nemesis and you are no different. Think about what "takes your energy". 

For example, if you are in an organization where your key superpower is not valued, . You will experience the concept of soul erosion because something that is important to you that gives you energy is something that is either not valued or undervalued which if you listen to episode one, you'll hear, the soul erosion concept is considered a burnout accelerant.

You will not be able to overcome a mismatch. If your superpower, what gives you energy and you're expert at is either underutilized or unvalued at an organization

further, if too much of you, the componentry of your role is in that "takes your energy" column, you may not be able to overcome that.

So much of your energy is being [00:24:00] taken and not enough of your energy is being replenished and not enough of what makes you valuable player in another role is being utilized in your current role.

Another bit of kryptonite I want you to be on the lookout for if you're in a management role or aspire to a management role and you are not expert in the top five superpowers for management.

 Curiosity, Authenticity, resilience, compassion, and playfulness. You are risking decreased engagement. It's important for you to be putting into your own professional development plan ways that you will actively work on these five superpowers to really become a more engaged and engaging leader.

So we've talked about a lot. Knowing your superpowers is the key. Very powerful [00:25:00] on many fronts, not the least of which is to help you plan for your what's next with a strong foundation, but also 

having a really effective tagline helps your supporters help you either refine your current role or search out the best fit next role.

And third, that tagline puts a cape in your back pocket and addresses imposter syndrome and imposter syndrome means, I don't know how this happened. How did I get here? Am I lucky? No, no, no. You will now have that confidence to stand on to say, I know what I'm good at. I know that it's valuable and you know, it's compelling.

What I ask of you now is if you think it might be useful, and I hope that you do get the superpower discovery framework that is listed in the episode notes, look. It's, it's incredibly lo fi, but I ask, give me your feedback if you've got it and let me know if it's beneficial for you

Up Next On The Podgress Report

Jen Phillips: also, I want to tell [00:26:00] you, you do not want to miss. the next podcast report. I could not be more excited about the next guest we have on the podcast report. Subscribe to the podcast report so 

it just is in your subscriptions and downloaded for you. Every time we post a new report, 

if you have feedback from me, if you have a guest suggestion, or you just have some lessons learned or a success story to share, I love your feedback. Thank you to those of you who have already provided feedback.

There is a feedback is a gift link. In the episode notes, use it to record your thoughts. And thank you for being here with me on the Podcrest Report talking about how we can help each other and maybe make the workplace a better place as we grow. 

 Until next time, here's to your progress. 

the fine print

 Hi, it's Jen with some very important, fine print. This podcast and its [00:27:00] associated properties does not provide medical or mental health advice, the information including, but not limited to recorded in live episodes, text graphics, images, and any other material contained on the property or the podcast are for your informational purposes only. Nothing on The Podgress Report is intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified provider with questions you may have. Regarding a medical condition or mental health or wellness concern, and please, if you're under duress or considering suicide, please reach out right this very minute to the suicide and cRisis lifeline by dialing 9, 8, 8 in the U S. 

Jen Phillips: Or searching for the helplines available to you in your country.