October Dealer Blog – What is Your Superpower?

If you don’t know anything else about me, you should know I love Marvel films and my favorite super hero is Captain America. What I really enjoy about the Avengers films is how the superheroes each play an important role using their unique gifts and skills—one superhero alone can’t save the world. The reason Captain America is my favorite superhero is that he stands up for the little guy, his morals and judgment are what make up his values that he effectively communicates and make him stand out from other leaders.

To me, leadership is placing the good of those led over the self-interest of the leader. Once I learned this, and actually practiced putting this into action, I realize that it was actually pretty hard! To figure out who I want to be as a leader I ask myself daily how I want to be perceived by others on my team. I want to be a dedicated, innovative, visionary so I can redefine current practices of the publishing industry to help inspire the next generation.

There are a few simple steps that I strive to incorporate in my daily routine to help complete this statement. I always try to MODEL the behavior I want others to see, I CONNECT with those around me, INVOLVE them as much as possible and constantly remind myself that by implementing these few steps into my routine I am building effective communication, better trust, and creating a more passionate team.

One way of growing professionally for me was also learning I am accountable for the actions and results of my team, both good and bad. Understanding this gives me pause for every action I take during my day. Am I setting my team up for success? Am I creating and vocalizing the standard of that success to go along with their experiences?

So what type of Leader are you? No matter what role you are in for this industry we are all faced with tests of leadership from time to time. Sometimes these are planned but often come in the heat of the moment. If you haven’t taken the opportunity to ponder your leadership role, or decided which comic book hero you are going to be for Halloween (be Captain America!), now is the time to check in with yourself and think about how you wish to lead.