Leaders Have Superheroes, too.

Whenever I was sick as a kid, my step-father would buy me a comic book to cheer me up. Usually, it was an Archie Comic; my favorite character (which I kept as a closely-guarded secret) was the kind-hearted, tomboyish Betty Cooper. She was one of Archie’s girlfriends, although she always seemed to play second-fiddle to that snobbish Veronica! Betty cared deeply for the wellbeing of others, plus she excelled in athletics, cooking, writing, and academics. In some sense she was a role model for the person I wanted to become.

But then, compared to my other idol, Betty was a bit of a wallflower. Wonder Woman: I read her comics too; and you better believe I watched her battle the forces of evil each week on TV along with the Justice League of America. Pow! Bam! Zap! Villains didn’t stand a chance. Recalling the mythological Amazons, Wonder Woman sought to bring peace, love, and sexual equality to the world. I was dazzled by her super-human strength, her ability to fly, and all those extraordinary feats of speed, stamina, and agility (not to mention that extraordinary hairdo). And in her way, Wonder Woman filled another role model as I considered who I wanted to grow up to be.

Lest you think superheroes are relics of a bygone era (or merely pawns of modern special effects films), it seems they are alive and well, still fighting for the force of good. For instance, Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, a Kuwaiti clinical psychologist, has created a modern team of comic-book heroes who do more than battle villains—they remedy stereotypes. Al-Mutawa calls his characters “the 99″ after the 99 attributes of Allah, as derived from Islamic culture. In a forthcoming cross-cultural collaboration, they will join forces with Wonder Woman and the other classic superheroes of the Justice League. Together they’ll champion virtues like kindness, courage, generosity, and honesty for a healthier world.

We love superheroes. They give freely of their talents and their exceptional gifts in order to benefit humanity. They remind us to overcome our challenges and weaknesses, to help others in need, and to use our strengths boldly instead of succumbing to mediocrity. This is not just kids’ stuff: respected leadership thinkers encourage us to turn our business suits into superhero suits or find our inner Batman.

As a leader, I can draw on this superhero approach by remembering the bigger purpose behind whatever challenge I’ve undertaken or battle I’m fighting: to create a world which works for everyone. If I’m ever in doubt, I can always ask myself: “what would Betty Cooper do?” And “would Wonder Woman approve?”

Image by downing.amanda

ORIGINAL BLOG – Remember the day you drove home on the same boring route, yet noticed— for the very first time— how the sun hangs like an exquisite saffron-colored ball in the sky right before it sets?

Or the time you waved hello to a client while secretly wondering, “Wow, she looks different: leaner, healthier somehow … new hair color? Updated suit?” only to learn she’d achieved her weight loss goal (50 pounds) right before your eyes?

In both cases you experienced what George Carlin coined as “vuja de,” that funny feeling when something that should be very familiar seems totally new.  I discovered the alarming side of vuja de as an eight-year-old. After many recitals and hundreds of hours practicing till my backside went numb, I sat down to perform Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” for a music contest. The keys of that gleaming black grand piano awaited me and… nothing. Not one single note came to my fingers. You might say it was a disconcerting moment (pardon the pun).

Fingering a different kind of keyboard today, I ponder the other times I’ve experienced this phenomenon and realize most of them, while always disconcerting, have actually resulted in a pleasant refreshing of my perspective. It’s a chance to step out of everyday assumptions to see old things anew. So I wonder: rather than waiting for these moments to descend on me out of the blue, what if I could create vuja de?

What would it mean to see routine things—our patterns for living, working and leading—with fresh eyes? It would add to our ability to uncover new solutions that have been waiting just under our noses. Or just under our tires, in plain old pavement where vuja-de inspired researchers may be developing a new way to generate energy… from the heat absorbed by parking lots. Leaders who cultivate this sort of perspective can transform just about anything mundane—tired products, stale service lines, lackluster relationships—into something innovative.

Here are four very different exercises I’ve found that can refresh my outlook on just about anything that’s gone stagnant or humdrum in my life and work:

• For your next routine meeting, imagine yourself as a first-day intern. Set aside your assumptions, beliefs, and preconceived ideas (all those fruits of your hard-earned experience) and walk in as if for the first time. Notice all the things you see and hear: this is what Zen Buddhists call “beginner’s mind.” When you bring this sort of curiosity to a meeting, you remain open to what naturally emerges from the group.

• When facing your next major challenge, use what some Native Americans call the Rule of Seven. Tell at least seven stories about your challenge, each one from a unique vantage point: your view plus that of a colleague, a competitor, and so forth. When you observe a challenge in this kind of 360⁰ manner, you often find multiple solutions, allowing you to choose the best fit.

• Ask someone with very different beliefs about their stance on a sticky issue. I recommend picking an issue close to your heart, such as a political, humanitarian, or spiritual matter. Your sole job in this exercise is to listen to their point of view without judgment. One imaginative thinker has made this an institution, called “the Living Library,” in 12 countries and counting. Rather than checking out books, people check out people for a 30 minute conversation to purposefully challenge their own prejudices.

• Explore an unfamiliar industry or company that seems totally unrelated to your own. Healthcare company Kaiser Permanente did this very exercise for a team charged with medication administration: they visited car dealers, grocers, flight schools, and a forensic science expert, making connections to their own workplace challenges, and ultimately discovering new ideas to reduce errors with medication.

Vuja de may not have won me that piano contest back when I was eight, but for leaders it can mean the difference between rehearsing familiar tunes and creating a whole new composition.

Photo © Tim Davis – used with permission

Maybe your vision is about moving toward a more constructive way of living. Maybe it’s about creating a work environment where people can truly thrive. Perhaps it’s an ambition to lift up others. As leaders, the gutsy act of envisioning means picturing something grander than our everyday status quo; something powerful enough to motivate both ourselves and the people we lead.

That motivation can be visceral, something we literally feel in our bodies. When I hear great visions, it makes my chest warm and shoots my energy sky high, like a natural caffeine. This has happened numerous times since I last blogged. All around I’ve spotted people setting their sights on far-reaching aspirations— or what Built to Last authors Collins and Porras (way back in 1996) called Big Hairy Audacious Goals. Of course I prefer the acronym, pronounced “bee-hag.”

Kim Wright offered a perfect example of creating a BHAG with the power to motivate. She joined Wisdom Works’ leadership dialogue this past June –and she joined with gusto. We were exploring how laws, and the legal field as a whole, can foster reconciliation and healing, versus conflict and division. Kim, the bestselling author of Lawyers as Peacemakers, shared her vision for remaking the legal system through conscious law, transformative mediation, and restorative justice. Under her stewardship, a growing number of lawyers across the USA are organizing as “a community of visionary leaders for a new paradigm of law.” How’s that for inspiring?

Then there’s gaming systems designer, Jane McGonigal, author of the 2011 book Reality Is Broken. She believes that playing games —in virtual and real life— can change the world by reinforcing positive emotions and social connection. Jane has put this belief into practice by inventing such games as World Without Oil, where players experience life after this dwindling natural resource has vanished. Another of her ideas, which became a game called The Lost Ring, galvanized 2.9 million people worldwide to collaborate in a long-lost sport, providing an entrée to the 2008 Olympics. (Click here to beta-test her newest brainchild, SuperBetter, a gaming system which helps you recover from illness or injury and practice positive lifestyle behaviors— all while having fun!) Her vision? For a game designer (yes, a game designer) to win a Nobel Peace Prize. I believe that qualifies as a BHAG, don’t you?

It’s possible for whole communities to have big hairy audacious goals, too. Serenbe, Georgia is being built under principles of sustainability that range from construction methods to “the organic produce on your table that was grown by one of your neighbors.” Albert Lea, Minnesota transformed itself according to Blue Zones principles (derived from studies of places where people live better and longer) by weaving these principles into its schools, businesses, homes, restaurants, and everyday lives. Even my home town of Manitou Springs, Colorado is engaged in a citizen-led process to create a clear vision which will guide city strategies, decisions, and resource allocations through year 2020.

What is it within us human beings that creates such an attraction to great vision? Why do we long to be propelled into a healthier future? While I was attending a recent workshop, Aikido sensei and somatic teacher Richard Strozzi-Heckler shared this powerful poem:

For me, these words by Bohemian-Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke describe our longing beautifully. People of vision exemplify courage. They step outside the bounds of normal thought and bring forth a future which broadens our individual perspectives and opens up life-giving possibilities for all of us. That’s pretty good motivation for finding our own BHAGs, wouldn’t you say?

Photo by mind_scratch