I often get asked about ‘the whole superhero thing’ and how I get so many ‘otherwise relatively normal’ people so excited about this program. So I figured I’d just finally explain it in writing so everyone can read it. (This is not a promotion for the program. It is an explanation of the thinking that went into the design and development of the program and why people connect with it on such an emotional level.)
So let’s look at what each of these categories of people really are.
Stars – they are people that have achieved a level of success or achievement to the point they ‘stand out from the crowd’. Think about the star player on a sports team, or the star in a movie. The great attention and accolades they receive are based upon their personal performance and what they have achieved for themselves. (And ‘superstars’ are simply stars that have done it many times and/or in a very extreme manner. Again think of the ‘superstars’ of the movie industry or sporting world.)
Heroes – they are people who have had major impact on the lives of others either by their actions or what they stand for (who they are). These people are given this title because of their self-sacrifice and/or commitment to something larger than themselves. People’s heroes can range from relatives that had a meaningful impact in their lives, to the military/police/firefighters who ‘run in while everyone else runs out’, or those who champion a cause regardless of their personal gain (or loss). With heroes it’s about what they do for us (or others), not what they get personally.
With the same extension that I applied above about superstars being ‘stars’ who have either a very large or very long success, [Real World] Superheroes are heroes that impact a large group of people in a deeply meaningful way or have had that impact over a long period of time.
At the Real World Superhero Academy (since we work most often with business professionals) we define Real World Superheroes as…
“…thought leaders, major change agents, and/or influential leaders within their company, their industry, and/or their profession. They can also be top performers within their profession, champions of a cause, or achievers of major breakthroughs/advances in their fields. They are people that truly make a difference and are recognized for it.”
A key phrase that differentiates the impact of a hero from the achievement of a star is that they ‘make a difference’ in the world around them. A star athlete may help their team win the Super Bowl, and of course that impacts their lives, but honestly for the rest of us, no big impact. We just go back to living our lives the next day. And to be honest, if it’s not our team – and by ‘our’ I mean our home team, favorite team, fantasy team, etc. – it doesn’t really make any difference who it is. And each year someone is going to win, that’s the way it works. (We haven’t yet had a year where all the teams were so bad that the NFL decided that no one deserved to be called ‘the champion’ for that year.)
On the other hand, the heroes and superheroes impact (improve) the lives of the people around them. Superheroes simply do so in a bigger, longer term manner. So why not shoot to be a superhero…since we have the choice? Is there an inner Indiana Jones deep inside you, or maybe a Danny Thomas (actor and comedian who also founded St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital)?
Finally…But why use ‘superheroes’ in a professional coaching program at all (I mean beside how much fun it is!)? Well that comes down to the tremendous power of our creative imagination and our subconscious mind. For more on that, check out this post.
Question: Would you rather be a star, a hero, or a superhero…I mean if you had to be one of them?
