Stories, such as moral stories have the power to shape mankind’s destiny.
Superheroes stories raise issues of morality and justice, of personality and identity.
Who doesn’t want to be a superhero?
Superheroes have a strong draw on many people, and not only because they are exciting and cool, but also because a lot of them face complex struggles.
No matter if you fight evil mutants, or yourself, we all struggle in real life.
In my view, everyone can learn from superheroes and maybe even become one.
Being a superhero is not about doing extraordinary things, but it is about doing ordinary things in an extraordinary way!
Every day, you can show super hero qualities like courage, bravery, perseverance, determination, compassion and kindness in your daily life.
There are many superheroes around us: Policemen, Nurses, Firefighters, Teachers and anyone whom are dedicating their life for others… and they are superheroes not only because WHAT they do but rather of HOW they do it – and HOW it makes them and everyone around them FEEL!
I like to think of Entrepreneurs as Superheroes! See, they strive to solve the world’s problems, inspire social change and improve quality of life. They perform heroic achievements with scarce time, limited resources and against all odds.
Entrepreneurs are Pioneers, are Explorers but not in the search of Gold and Glory as their real motivation is DOING WELL BY DOING GOOD!
It seems that the new mindset is a Global mindset, Generosity, Giving and finding Green solutions for a better world to live in. Yes, most entrepreneurs toil away in obscurity and often shy away from media just as real Superheroes do.
How To Be a Superhero Entrepreneur?
Every Superhero Has Something to Teach You About Life and Business.
FLY
Image credit: dccomics
If I could choose one super power, flight would be it! Most Super heroes fly and I can imagine one day soon people will fly as well.
Entrepreneurs are constantly encountering new challenges. The best founders exhibit a type of mental agility that allows them to fly through constant adversity with ease. Entrepreneurs who have achieved this level of intellectual agility reach new heights by standing on the shoulders of their network until they can fly.
INSPIRE
Image credit: Marvel
Captain America is a symbol of America’s post-World War II greatness. He always does what is right. He is competitive, prefer to lead rather than follow, and set high standards for himself and others. In business, it’s important to make a statement that shows who you really are and to inspire both your employees and customers to grasp your vision.
BE SUPER RESPONSIBLE
Image credit: Marvel
Peter Parker also known as Spider-Man had no superhero mentor like Captain America and Batman; he thus had to learn for himself that “with great power there must also come great responsibility”
BE FAST (AND WHEN NOT FAST) BE QUICK
Image credit: DC Comics
The Flash must make decisions in the blink of an eye or he might run into a brick wall or get hit with a cold ray.
Sound familiar?
In business, latency is a killer.
Speed is one of the only advantages a startup has over a big corporate.
The lean startup framework centers around the mantra of “Build, Measure, Learn”.
Build a prototype quickly
Measure how users engage
Learn from the experiment and then iterate quickly.
Cycle time is a critical component for how fast a startup can move through these steps. As a result, the best entrepreneurs set up their company’s organizational structure and decision-making processes to maximize speed.
BE SUPER COOL
Image credit: Marvel
Most interesting characters come with super cool powers but, more importantly, with flaws that humanize them. The Hulk is truly flawed. No one likes angry people. It’s true; we can’t separate emotions from business, especially when it is about your ‘baby’ startup. Learn to educate your emotions, and control your anger. Be cool!
BE INNOVATIVE
Image credit: Marvel
Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, is a genius of technological achievements and innovations. An absolute truth in business is that having the latest technology can really give you the competitive edge.
BE CHARISMATIC
Now when I come to think about it, a lot of superheroes are very charming and charismatic. Nonetheless, Iron Man is by far the most charismatic of the superheroes. He is impulsive, talkative, and fun-loving. As a leader, he is inspiring and enthusiastic. He does have his flaws, though. Cocky and not a great listener, he is sometimes more concerned with popularity than results. After all, what’s the fun of being a superhero if you’re not famous for it?
Yes, of course, you need to have a charismatic personality to be able to sell your ideas and your products. If you can’t convince your team, your investors and your customers, it is highly likely you never will be very successful.
Charisma comes in many forms but ultimately, it is the ability of an entrepreneur to motivate people to align with his vision of the future. At the earliest stages of a company, this involves recruiting founders, finding seed capital and signing up the initial beta customers. At later stages, this can mean leading acquisitions, securing partnerships or evangelizing the vision at a conference.
A WINNING TEAM
Image credit: DC Comics
The fantastic four must learn to harness their new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy. Coordination – once a decision is made, an entrepreneur needs to make sure everyone is on board and rowing in the same direction.
Building a winning team is super important, for both superheroes and entrepreneurs, as each member is different and brings its skills and strengths to the mix. Each superhero is strong on its own but with their team they are invincible.
Image credit: DC Comics
Every leader needs a Robin. A strong No. 2 tends to be essential in a company. The leader can’t do it all.
BE TRUTHFUL
Image credit: DC Comics
Wonder Woman is capable of winning battles, but what really set her apart was the ability to force truth from lies. Never lie to employees or customers, because when they will find that you did (they always will), you will never regain their trust.
BE AGILE
Heroes becoming villains is a fairly common trope in superhero comics. In business, even if you’ve gone down the wrong strategic path, it’s never too late to change course. In the startup world, we refer to this as “pivoting.”
KNOW YOUR WEAKNESS
Image credit: DC Comics
Superman is fully aware of his kryptonite problem and that he needs to keep his distance or it’s game over.
Every entrepreneur has a kryptonite, most of which are:
Lacking focus
Bad decisions
Expanding too fast
Overpricing
…
Doing is the key. What happens when you do? What happens if you don’t?
Be mindful of what’s stopping you from becoming successful and how you can avoid it.
Understand how the decisions you make can leave you exposed, and respond appropriately.
PASSION: THE FIRE INSIDE YOU
Image: Marvel – The Human Torch
Johnny Storm, also known as the Human Torch, can engulf his entire body in flames,
In the startup world every day brings new and unexpected challenges.
Successful entrepreneurs have a fire inside of them that motivates them to push farther and faster than normal.
Passion is not just love for your product, team or market. It is the intensity, work ethic and determination that enables sustained effort over a long period of time.
Passion is infectious.
Passion can be the glue that brings a group of strangers together and galvanizes them to success on their startup journey.
SAY NO TO RACISM
Feared and hated by humans because they’re different, the X-Men are heroic mutants, individuals born with special powers who’ve sworn to use their gifts to protect mutants as well as humans. Super entrepreneurs believe in:
Making friends, not contacts.
Giving, not taking.
Helping others before helping yourself.
Values
Morality should be high on any entrepreneurs list. Name a superhero who doesn’t have a strong moral code! Even the darkest of superheroes are motivated by their sense of right and wrong. When a hard decision needs to be made, all entrepreneurs should always build their business on a foundation of honesty, transparency and principals.
LOVE – THE GREATEST SUPER POWER
All Superheroes are motivated by LOVE.
Love is the greatest super power of all!
Love unfolds and reveals.
For love we live and for love we die.
First you must learn to Love yourself!
As if you can’t love yourself, you can’t love others and what you do!
Strengthen these superpowers to achieve your aspirations.
Successful entrepreneurs will possess some or all of these superpowers. These elements of character should excite future entrepreneurs, because all of these traits and skills can be learned, fostered and developed.
Commit to yourself.
Commit to those around you.
Commit to your cause and your mission.
… and see the result at the end of the day.
See it.
Feel it.
Experience it.
As clear as you possibly can.
Doing is not about credentials.
You don’t have to have credentials to do what you want to do. You just do it!
You don’t go to school to be a leader, you become one by doing whatever is necessary to become one.
Adopting the mindset of the person you want to become, and ultimately being that person, not just in business, but being “it” in the core of who you are.
The key is the self-awareness to acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses and invest in developing the superpowers you need to achieve your aspirations. Anyone has the potential to be a successful entrepreneur with the right mindset, role models and help along the way.
Remember: You don’t need to have superpowers to do superhero stuff. Changing the world and making it better for everybody is superhero worthy and fun.
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