Bringing Out the Best In Others
The Best Thing I Read This Week
This is a fantastic interview over at Range Widely, David Epstein’s newsletter. I highly recommend the article if you’re interested in how we can bring out the best in each other.
Before we go further, I just want to acknowledge that these days I find talking about our “superpowers” in a work context to be a little, I don’t know, eye-roll-y because it feels like your boss is trying to rah-rah you to produce more in a manipulative way, but maybe I’m being too cynical. I guess it’s like how some people get annoyed at calling people “rock stars” in a work context. Is there a less over-the-top way to describe our special abilities?1 Anyway, in Epstein’s interview with Peter Sims, it’s about people’s superpowers in a bit of a broader sense than at the office.
Back to the interview, I’ll just highlight a few quotes to comment on.
DE: In One Piece, a bunch of the characters have miraculous powers, and the main guy does too, but — as one of his adversaries notes — he also has the greatest superpower of all: his enthusiasm for his mission turns everyone around him into an ally in his quest.
I haven’t read or watched One Piece (and now am curious to check it out), but that’s so true about the greatness of that ability. I don’t think of myself as having it (I generally have a rather placid demeanor), but we don’t all need the same abilities and it’s better that we don’t—it’s about assembling complementary teams.
PS: After business school, I developed a mental model for my career and life that is very different from taking a linear path. My goal was to build a platform for creativity and entrepreneurship, working with people I really enjoyed, that might have a significant positive impact for society.
That sounds like an amazing life. Maybe not specifically the platform for entrepreneurship, but taking an open path to bring together people you enjoy to work on things that might have a significant positive impact for society? Sign me up.
Now, Sims was “very successful” in venture capital before getting disillusioned with the “mix of big egos, small ethical compasses, and general lack of a feeling of purpose”, so he may have built the financial wherewithal to work on whatever he wants to for the rest of his life. I wonder if that background helped him get access to so many powerful people. I mean I guess I could read his book to find out…
PS: When we start out after college, we are the main character in the movie, and the rest of the world revolves around us. As we mature, we realize that life is a lot more interesting when we learn what’s going on for the other characters around us, and empathize with their points of view.
This is a great description. A similar progression that others have expressed is that when you’re younger, you’re more focused on yourself, but as you grow older and gain more experience and accomplishments under your belt, your focus starts to turn outward to the people around you and your community, and eventually you turn to bringing up the next generation(s). What’s different about Sims’ perspective, though, is that his framing puts the spotlight more on others as opposed to maybe still being the main character but doing different things.
DE: I think that’s part of what helps you energize people: you’re probing for what they’re good at and suggesting uses for it and making connections to other people based on it.
This vision really resonates with me and is more what I’ve come to think of as a model for myself—not as the magnetic hero that we’re often expected to want to be but as someone who sees what others are good at, and if they could have a positive impact, helping them to realize that potential.
As Sims notes:
PS: It’s very hard for any of us to see our own talents and superpowers. We’re dependent upon feedback, especially from others who can see us well.
Is there anyone you know who has special abilities—fine, superpowers—that they aren’t realizing? Maybe you could help them see new possibilities. And then they will save the world.
Come to think of it, I think we used to call them “special abilities” in video games, back before superheroes exploded into the mainstream with the MCU.