From winning a game to winning the World Cup
How ‘Superhero Syndrome’ can make you lose it all
Running a business is a long term game. A continuous Championship, most of the time played on a global level. No one is setting up a business to intentionally close it down after one year. Even though every CEO understands this, many organisations struggle to compete in the Championship and tend to aim for winning a game. The reason? Superhero Syndrome.
What is the Superhero Syndrome?
I’m talking about the Superhero of the team — the Batmans who are willing to pull all-nighters. The Supermans that work weekends and do everything that’s needed. We like heroes, we celebrate and reward them. But most of the time we find them ‘hard to handle’, especially when they don’t agree with our plan, right?
The ‘Superhero Syndrome’ is when one member of the team assumes that he or she is responsible for doing everything. They take on extra work and responsibilities, solving all kinds of problems and take failures and mistakes to heart. A real perfectionist. Also, the one who will always be talking in (team) meetings. A superhero is the one who fixes problems and is therefore rewarded by management.
Most heroes have good intentions and do their work with the utmost passion. They are mostly recognized by being called the ‘Product Expert’, ‘Senior Developer’ or ‘Tech Lead’. Many organisations completely depend on their heroes. And, quite disturbingly if you ask me, a lot of organisations think the superhero is needed because other teams aren’t capable of fixing complex problems.
Don’t blame the fallen hero
As a hero wants to solve problems and feels responsible for the mistakes, they can put an insurmountable amount of pressure on themselves to perform. In the short term, this can be manageable, in the long term, it’s very dangerous. They will not only push themselves to deliver their own work, but they will also be trying to take on the work (filling the gaps) of additional roles and responsibilities. This behaviour often results in burnout and will affect their performance.
No superhero has chosen this role and the responsibilities that come with it. It has been created, and they have accepted it. By praise from leadership, by being pulled into important meetings, by being asked for guidance and advice. And that is okay until it interferes with our own insights and plans. Then the most experienced person, the loudest voice, the critic, will become a pain.
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships” — Michael Jordan, part of the Dream Team, 1992
Go get the long term win
Keeping the hero in place and letting them fix every problem, will create an environment where the team isn’t capable of fixing it. Let’s be clear on one point: a superhero is not someone you get rid of, it is something you should want to get rid of. It’s the behaviour of a superhero that can risk your business, not the person.
Superheroes can be great to focus on winning a game. But in the end, your organisation is not one team, it is a group of people and teams all trying to win the World Cup. You are in a lucky place because these teams don’t compete with each other but form your ultimate Dream Team to win against other competitors.
It is highly valuable to look at the long term game you want to win. Creating a network of knowledge and experiences, collaboration and understanding. An organisation where not just a few people are key, but teams are key to your success. In the end, an individual won’t get you to the finals but a team can. Are you aiming to win the game or do you want to win the World Cup?
