How To Lead Like a Superhero

"In good news today...no more banks have collapsed."

This is what I heard a public radio announcer say a few days ago during a morning broadcast as I imagined him grimacing with uncomfortable relief or resignation (or both) while wiping a bead of sweat off his forehead.

That statement may or may not still be true by the time you read this email.

It's been quite a week...a year...a 3 years since the world turned upside down. Many of my clients' businesses are reeling in this roller-coaster of an economy. And others are facing unexpected hyper-growth. Both scenarios are scary and difficult to navigate. And like it or not, I—and my business, by default—am along for the ride. Up and down—all at once. Oof.

It can be difficult to be optimistic or stay focused on the long-game in the face of so much uncertainty.

But as a leader, that's your job.

You can imagine my surprise and delight when I opened the New York Times on Monday morning to find this op-ed from Michelle Yeoh advocating for women's rights in the face of global disasters.

The previous night, Yeoh made history as she won an Oscar for Everything Everywhere All at Once, a post-modern, post-narrative romp on identity, place, and home with a little bit of sci-fi and meta-traversing thrown in for...oh, who knows. (If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend it.)

And by the next morning, she was back on a mission that I didn't even know she was on. (After a much-deserved night of celebrating in between—this part is very important, as I write about in How to Beat Burnout as a Leader)

Michelle Yeoh could have just bowed demurely in her subversively suffragette-white evening gown and said thank you. Sat back and enjoyed the ride...
​
Instead, she's using her platform to amplify her impact.

This is what leadership looks like.

I am a queer, idealistic, and steadfast daughter of an idealistic, even-more-steadfast immigrant who left her career and family to move to the United States and pave a new path for herself. I am also a big Michelle Yeoh fan. Needless to say, I very much enjoyed, Everything Everywhere All at Once.

It's not easy being a stranger in a strange land. And it's not easy being the strange child of a stranger. And what a journey. I am so happy that Yeoh won that well-deserved Oscar. And I am even more impressed and inspired that she released this op-ed the next day.

Leadership isn't about letting life happen to you. By definition, you take people somewhere. And they join you. When you know who you are, have a mission that drives you, and know what your superpowers are, you don't just sit back for the ride. You use your energy and passion to amplify your impact.

It works for superheroes like Michelle Yeoh. And it will work for you.

So I will ask you: What change are you making in the world today? Why? And how?

It can be small. It can be big. It just has to be something.

You’ve got this.