Lessons from The Incredibles on how to be a Superhero
Did you see The Incredibles?
Great movie. It’s a fun and entertaining animated feature for kids, and it is filled with powerful and inspiring messages for both young and older adults.
The Incredibles are a family of undercover superheros trying to live a “normal” life in quiet suburbia, but who discover a plan concocted by a self-made superhero (who calls himself Syndrome) to kill off the real “Supers” and take over the world.
The names of the Superhero Family are Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible), Helen Parr (Mrs. Incredible/Elastigirl), Dashiel “Dash” Parr (Bob and Helen’s son), and Violet Parr (Bob and Helen’s daughter). There is also Jack Jack, who is the little baby of the family.
If you haven’t seen The Incredibles, here’s a cool trailer on YouTube (just under 2 minutes long) to pique your interest:
I was struck by two related scenes in particular.
The first on is at the end of Scene 4:
Helen is driving her son Dash home from school, following his having been sent to the principal’s office for placing a tack on his teacher’s chair. Dash had used his superpowers of massive speed to place the tack on the teacher’s seat undetected.
Listen in on their conversation:
“But Dad always said our powers are nothing to be ashamed of, our powers made us special.”
“Everyone’s special, Dash.”
“Which is another way of saying no one is.”
The second scene is at the end of Scene 25:
The whole family (except for Jack Jack, who was left with a babysitter. That’s a whole story in itself!) has been captured and is in chains, suspended from a wall. Syndrome, the mastermind behind the plot to take over the world, stands before them.
Just before he exits, leaving The Incredibles chained and suspended, Syndrome eerily echoes Dash’s previously-expressed sentiment:
“I’ll sell my inventions so that everyone can be Super Heroes. Everyone can be super. “
“And when everyone’s Super (chuckles; dramatic pause) . . . then no one will be.”
Both Dash and Syndrome have got it all wrong. Even Helen could use a dose of clarity.
This is the problem many entrepreneurs and sales professionals encounter every day. They tend to stifle themselves and play down their greatness. Consciously or not, they are ashamed of their ‘special powers.’
They don’t want to stand out too much and inadvertently alienate someone. At the same time, they want prospects to choose them over the “competition.”
Does this describe you?
Well, you can’t have it both ways. If you refuse to embrace what makes you a “Super” (or you don’t even know what it is that makes you Super) and boldly incorporate that marketing message to the world, you prove Dash and Syndrome’s conclusions right: Your destiny is to be forever lost in the sea of sameness.
And when prospects place two identical products or services side-by-side, there is only one thing to compete on: Price. Unless you’re Wal-Mart (“Always low prices. Always.”), competing on price is a no-win situation; there will always be someone who can underbid you.
But, when you recognize “Everyone’s special,” the whole idea of competition becomes a ridiculous fiction. There is no other you.
How can you compete against yourself?
The trick is discovering what Nancy Marmolejo calls Your “Profitable Essence,” and designing your business and your personal brand around that.
Michael Port (affiliate link) refers to it as “Your Quirks”, those qualities, values, and activities you love and are naturally drawn to that make you uniquely you.
After all, there are thousands of other businesses that do what you do. People don’t do business with businesses; they do business with people.
And those people with whom they do business isn’t everyone on the planet. You’ve heard it before: ”People do business with people they know, like, and trust.”
The people who are attracted to you are attracted to YOU.
Didn’t you know everyone else is already taken?
