What's your super power?

When I was a kid, I loved the Legion of Super Heroes and the Justice League of America. These were comics for slumming comic book writers, fun and sort of stupid stories where a whole bunch of superheroes would get together, hang out in the clubhouse and then work together to destroy some sort of monster that any individual superhero could never have bested.

Anyway, near the beginning of most of these comics was a scene where a stranger would meet the team. Inevitably, the heroes would introduce themselves. Of course, Batman or Superman wouldn't need an introduction, but the lesser (lower rent) heroes had to speak up and describe their super power.

"I'm the Wasp. I have the ability to shrink to a height of several centimeters, fly by means of insectoid wings and fire energy blasts."

Some fancy marketers might call this a positioning statement or a unique selling proposition. Of course, it's not that. It's just her super power.

When you meet someone, you need to have a super power. If you don't, you're just another handshake. Don't say, "Hi, I'm Don, I'm from Cleveland." Instead, try, "Hi, I'm Don, I tell stories that spread." It's not about touting yourself or coming on too strong. It's about making the introduction meaningful. If I don't know your superpower, then I don't know how you can help me (or I can help you).

I was sitting next to a guy at a conference a few years ago. When people went around and said who they were and what they did, he said, "I'm Stephen, I'm a judge." He gets points for humility, and not pointing out that he was a Supreme Court Justice was certainly his privilege...  sort of like Superman not having to tout his x-ray vision.

The rest of us, though, do everyone a service when we let others know what we do and how it might help.