Coaching in analogies #22: Your leadership super suit

If you’ve had a kid or a sibling in the past 20 years, you’ve probably come across The Incredibles. Pixar made a big, loud, hilarious farce of superhero movies that cuts across generations and is worth watching multiple times.

But my favorite part of the film (and its sequel) isn’t a character or a scene. It’s the super suit.

Each superhero gets their own. It has to accommodate their size, their shape and their unique gifts. If you stretch almost limitlessly, the suit stretches too. If you can produce fire, the suit keeps you cool. If you’re strong enough to lift a car, the suit keeps up with the way you move.

A superhero would never save the world by wearing something they bought off the rack. Yet how many of us feel like the role we occupy at work is ill-fitting, uncomfortable or inauthentic?

I once worked for two leaders in a row who had exactly the same role. One wore a utility work uniform to the office every day, the other an immaculately-tailored suit. What they wore was a product of their vast differences in identity, culture, background and style.

I think of the persona, or outward-facing identity, as the leadership super suit. It’s custom-built. No two are alike. You can wake up in the morning without it on, feeling like yourself. Then you put it on and still feel like yourself, or even more so. 

Your super suit must play to your strengths and feel comfortable and authentic. If it doesn’t, everyone around you will know the difference.

Coaching prompts:

• Do you feel more or less like yourself when you’re showing up as a leader? Why?

• What authentic characteristics make up your leadership persona?