You are your superpower

Speaking
Written By Liam Sandford
superheros

In the early parts of my career I was labeled ‘a man of few words’. What was meant as a negative thing was actually my greatest strength.

Introverts get a bad wrap and are labelled for being antisocial, lacking confidence and often, somebody who is not a good public speaker. These are all myths.

Would you say active listening, self-awareness and reading the room are negative traits? These are all ‘natural introvert’ skills that are essentials in the communication toolbox.

Now, this email is not about introverts, its about using your core strengths to maximize your outputs. But the myth busting is important. ‘Introvert’ is not a negative label. Neither is ‘extrovert’.

They are just different.

And whichever side you fall on can be used to win at life. How?

Steer into what gives you energy

Introverts gain their energy from low stimulus environments. Extroverts gain their energy from high stimulus environments. That does not mean introverts can’t do well in high stimulus environments, or extroverts can’t do well in low stimulus environments, it just drains their battery harder.

There are times where you need to operate to your opposing preference, and that is okay. It’s the big moments in your life where you need to plan time around your preference. Let’s take delivering a presentation. Most people do another run through just before presenting. This does not make sense — if something goes wrong in that final practice it can throw you off completely. Instead, steer into what gives you energy:

Introverts — plan time in a quiet space where you can recharge

Extroverts — plan time with others so you can gain as much energy as possible from them

To show up at your best when it matters most, steer into what gives you energy.

Stay clear of what drains your battery

Most people fit into systems that are already in place, or their time is dictated by others. If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will. Actively stay clear of your battery drainers and create systems that work for you.

If today you are in an environment that drains your battery, tomorrow you will start at 80% of your battery, not 100%. If you continuously do that you will end up at 0%. This is burnout.

The less energy you have the longer it takes to do something, and the higher cognitive load it is for you. Optimizing your battery is the game. Where you have something coming up that will drain your battery hard, plan some recovery time afterwards. Recovery comes where you gain energy. Protect your battery to spend in the important places.

Showcase who you are

Being you is something that nobody does better. Bring your core strengths to the table. Use them to get the best out of yourself. Showcasing who you are to the world is a good thing. It helps you build your brand authentically and enables you to tell stories that resonate with others.

People tend to steer away from showing their authentic self to others to fit in. Staying in the crowd is not always a good thing. Often different is memorable, and memorable is a good thing. It’s the reason you get offered the job, it’s the reason your audience remember the key messages from your presentation. It’s the reason someone chooses to be a customer of your business.

What can you steer into that is unapologetically you?

This not only provides your unique advantage but it makes your life easier. By optimizing your energy you can win at life, just by being you.

Actionable takeaways

  • Drop one activity from your calendar over the next week that drains your battery.

  • Stop using introversion and extroversion as boundaries. Instead use them as enablers to get the best out of yourself.

  • Be you. This is your competitive advantage that nobody can compete with you on. Steer into it.

More from me

Liam Sandford
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