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My dad has a wonky finger.
Like, it bends in directions our congenital anatomy doesn’t allow for.
He broke it playing stickball when he was 7.
His parents were immigrants – always at work, always worried about money. So when the finger snapped, my dad didn’t want to trouble them. After all, the pain was manageable. He could power through. He was brave and tough. He hid it well.
By the time my grandparents discovered the injury, the bone had set. And the wonk became permanent. The fix would have been simple had they known of the break. But my dad, the superhero, kept it hidden away. And this is what’s happening in organizations across industries.
There are so many fractures. Not in bones. But in process. Connection. Communication. Trust. We’re leaving opportunity on the table, we’re drowning in inefficiency and redundancy. We’re walking around confused, uncertain, weary and doubtful when all of their opposites are there for the grabbing. So many of these cracks are so solvable!
Or…they would be. If people would stop being such damn superheroes!
We can’t fix what we can’t see.
These troubling superheroes are the ones…
- Working early and late instead of highlighting the gap between expectations and available resources
- Sticking bubble gum in the broken process again and again rather than flagging it for repair
- Making their best guesses and not complaining when they have to double back to the beginning rather than calling out the lack of clarity or transparency of communication
Sure, these are helpful in the moment. But they are - as Taylor would say - BandAids on bullet holes. Superheroes need to leave the heroics behind. But organizations have to stop celebrating them. Sometimes they’re actually the villains. They're taking from the company their opportunity to fix and enhance and ultimately grow.
We have to look these fractures in the eye and resolve them at the root. They are sucking the productivity, the collaboration, the impact, and sometimes frankly the joy out of our workplaces.
So join me. Resolve to make 2025 the year of the Anti-Hero.
Related: Leaders, You Might Be Doing the Wrong Job—Here’s What to Change