Every superhero has an origin story. For example, Superman came from the planet Krypton, where gravity is much higher than on earth, allowing him to fly here. Spider-Man was bitten by a radioactive spider, giving him heightened senses and the ability to walk on walls and swing from building to building on wrist-mounted web shooters. And Batman witnessed his parents being killed in a mugging, which turned him into a vigilante with fantastic determination, fighting skills, intellect, and wealth.
Healthcare administrators, leaders, and managers have superpowers and origin stories too. Like all superheroes, their defining moments helped them to develop their superpowers and become who they are. Your origin story, for example, could be that you overcame great adversity, learned from a mentor, identified an acute need, witnessed something that went terribly wrong, or coped with tragedy. And whether you recognize your origin story or not, you do have one and it has foregrounded your leadership.
For example, Bennett(1) shares the inspiring leadership origin story of Chris Van Gorder, president and CEO of Scripps Health, whose story began many years ago when he was working as the security guard at a hospital. One day, Van Gorder saw the hospital’s CEO walking toward him, so he stood and got ready to say “hello” and shake the man’s hand. However, the CEO walked past Van Gorder as though he wasn’t there. As Bennett tells the story, “Van Gorder decided that if he ever rose to a leadership position that he would treat his people differently, and he has lived up to that pledge.” Van Gorder’s superpower, or at least one of them, is that he treats every employee at Scripps Health with the care, courtesy, and respect they deserve.
Like Van Gorder, discovering your superpowers and sharing your leadership origin story will help you to clarify and promote your leadership identity, values, and purpose. As you’ll see, a good origin story can also humanize you and help your employees to become more receptive to you.
What Makes a Compelling Leadership Origin Story?
People of every culture love origin stories because we crave narratives and are naturally curious. We have shared stories in caves, huddled around campfires, across the dinner table, or in the late hours when the party has wound down. De Zoysa(2) says, “Origin stories hold us enthralled because as human beings, we are storied beings. We are drawn to mysteries and meaning-making…and underdogs who rose above their circumstances and challenges and changed the world.” Compelling origin stories can inspire us to imagine that we, too, can make a difference. Add to that that the people you lead every day want to be able to relate to you, and it becomes easy to see why your well-crafted leadership origin story will appeal to them.
Like Superman before he was Superman, we know what it’s like to have felt that there’s something more in store for us in life, even if we were not yet sure what that was.
Before turning your attention to crafting your leadership origin story, Emmerson(3) suggests once again that you take a lesson from superheroes. She says, “Most of us come from humble beginnings, and we love it when successful people…reveal theirs, too. It makes us feel a little bit better that Superman was raised by two normal parents on a farm, and that Clark Kent is treated like a bit of a geek.” Like Superman before he was Superman, we know what it’s like to have felt that there’s something more in store for us in life, even if we were not yet sure what that was. Perhaps that’s why we grin when we see a photo of Jeff Bezos sitting at his desk years ago in his modest start-up office beneath a handwritten paper banner that says amazon.com, or that we get a kick out of imagining Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs starting their business in a garage. We love stories of humble beginnings and how others overcame and grew from them.
Don’t despair if your beginnings were not quite so humble or if the adversity you overcame wasn’t equivalent to a superhero’s. You can make your leadership origin story as compelling as that of any superhero if you consider what makes any origin story compelling. Typically, Emmerson says, compelling origin stories reveal some or all of the following four things about the leader:
Obstacles: No doubt, you have had to overcome or currently are facing obstacles in your life. De Zoysa says, “Maybe you experienced an unexpected life interruption, trauma, or crisis that changed the course of your life or your perspective on life.” Most of the time, people will want to hear about such obstacles, perhaps not in excruciating technical detail, but told simply and in a way that stimulates their empathy and tugs on their heartstrings.
Humanity: Superheroes respond to their new superpowers as any human would. For example, they demonstrate frailty, crushed egos, error, awe, or clumsiness, especially when they are trying to get the hang of things. Like superheroes, you had to cut your teeth somewhere, and you probably made some bad choices and mistakes. Sharing these challenges in your leadership origin story can make you seem human and relatable.
Heroism: Maybe you were just happily going about your life and something completely out of the blue came along and pulled you into an adventure or exploration. Perhaps that led you down a path you would have never taken, but that eventually transformed you into who you are today. De Zoysa suggests that this usually is seen as the hero’s journey, described by mythologist Joseph Campbell, and popularized by many novels and Hollywood films. If you have a heroic story to tell, keep in mind that superheroes’ origin stories demonstrate why they are heroes, and it is not always because of their superpowers. Their character, altruism, and pureness of heart make them worthy of their powers and our admiration. These are the same characteristics that made you worthy of your leadership. Rosenberg(4) observes that superhero origin stories tend to show us not how to become super, but, through challenges, “how to be heroes.” For example, superheroes often choose to do right and good over stroking their egos, impressing others, or acquiring wealth, fame, admiration, or power. Those choices have nothing to do with their ability to leap tall buildings or read minds, Rosenberg suggests, but with their best human qualities. You can weave your best human qualities into your leadership origin story, too. When you do, you’ll want to emphasize your basic goodness and humanity in your story, rather than your superpowers such as your extraordinary analytical knowledge, skills, abilities, or fluency in several languages.
Balance: We especially like superheroes who are multidimensional, like us, and who balance the different sides of their personalities. For example, origin stories cue us to take superheroes seriously, yet superheroes aren’t serious all the time. We are delighted when they are a bit light, funny, or playful when the time and circumstances allow for that. For example, we enjoy it when Superman or Clark Kent says something to Lois Lane to suggest that he knows about his secret identity, but she doesn’t. Similarly, there’s room in your origin story for you to reveal yourself as the multidimensional, well-balanced person you are, one who is both serious and light. Likewise, you can show balance in your origin story if you can include moments in your life when your plans changed. For example, maybe you carefully planned your career path but accidentally bumped into someone at a café, leading eventually to your deciding to go back to school and embark on a new path. If so, telling that story can suggest to listeners that you found a way to balance your planning and hard work with your openness to the chances and opportunities you encountered.
At their best, superhero origin stories provide us with models for coping with adversity, finding meaning in loss and trauma, and making good use of our strengths. Sometimes, they show us how we can work collaboratively with one another, as superheroes do when they team up to become the Avengers or the Justice League. Emmerson asks, “Isn’t that what you want to do as a leader?”
Where to Dig for Origin Story Gold: Ten Questions
Your path to becoming a leader was filled with many moments, too many to recount in a brief origin story. Therefore, you will need to be selective. De Zoysa suggests that the following 10 questions can help you dig deeper into how you became who you are today and find your origin story gold:
What happened that had a significant, lasting effect on you? For example, did you lose your job, or did you come upon a very positive or negative role model?
Did anyone teach you something that changed your life? How did that lesson influence your leadership?
Did you experience an unexpected twist in your life trajectory? Consider both the big experiences and the “seemingly innocuous” ones, De Zoysa says.
Is there a story that you keep telling over and over? There must be a reason that the story matters to you enough to retell it. Lean into that reason.
Was there a moment when you took a leap of faith? Such moments may have empowered you to grow.
Was there a time when you didn’t give up, but others had? De Zoysa suggests that stories that set you apart from the crowd can be very compelling.
What hurdles did you overcome to get where you are now? We love heroes who become who they are because of adversity.
Was there a time when you knew that all the risks you took were worth it? Compelling origin stories are about people who ultimately succeed. When was that for you?
What story can you tell that would make you consciously vulnerable? De Zoysa explains, “Being honest doesn’t mean that you have to bare all your secrets or give excruciating or minute detail. It means choosing to be as open as you feel comfortable, right now.” Keep in mind, though, that people may speculate on areas you don’t reveal, or ask you questions you do not want to answer. De Zoysa says, “Rather than lie or cover-up, it is always best to preface your story with the boundaries you want to maintain.”
When were you humbled? De Zoysa suggests that some of the best leaders are forged in their failures.
Choose Your Leadership Origin Story Theme
When did you first feel like a leader? Researchers Meister, Zheng, and Caza(5) ask, “Would you start [your origin story] in childhood, or when you first took on that big position in your organization?” Was it when others started to follow you, or when you felt an obligation to your organization and the people you lead? Meister et al., studied 92 leadership origin stories that converged around one of four dominant origin story themes. These themes, they say, determined both how the leaders told their origin stories and how they regarded their leadership today. Do you identify with one or more of these themes?
Being theme: The leaders in the study who adopted this theme suggested that they have always thought of themselves as leaders. Meister et al., explain, “They highlighted a natural call to leadership that started in childhood or early school years, perhaps organizing kids in the neighborhood, engaging in entrepreneurial activities, or becoming captains of sports teams.” Leaders in the study who chose this theme often noted their personal qualities that have remained constant since childhood, such as their confidence, optimism, and inspirational leadership style.
Engaging theme: Leaders who chose this theme highlighted their successful facilitation of others. They believed that their leadership originated when they were compelled to address an urgent need. For example, Meister et al., cite the example of Jennifer in their study, who linked her leadership origin story to activities. Quoting Jennifer, they say, “It’s not like I came out of the chute trying to be the natural-born leader…but I do like the idea of creating a vision, looking at what needs to get done, making something better than it is now.” Leaders who viewed themselves through an engaging theme talked about how they changed unsatisfactory practices, started a new organization, brought disparate groups to a shared vision, tackled a challenge or crisis, or served as a liaison between conflicting groups. Meister et al., say, “In the present day, these leaders gravitate toward a more facilitative leadership style, focusing on engaging others and enabling collective action.”
Performing theme: Do you feel a strong sense of duty to your healthcare organization and to your patients? Do you feel protective of the people you lead, and perhaps refer to them as “my people?” Meister et al., suggest that leaders who adopted this theme often said that their leadreship began when they felt a sense of duty and responsibility. They described themselves as having “paternalistic leadership styles,” Meister et al., say, citing examples of the ways they controlled, supported, and provided guidance for their team.
Accepting theme: Leaders who described their leadership origin through an accepting theme didn’t think of themselves as leaders until they realized that others were following them. They recalled suddenly noticing that people were coming to them for answers, guidance, and support. Meister et al., say, “This group tended toward supporting or serving the needs of others above themselves, often with a low-key demeanor.”
Meister et al., concluded that there is a strong and reciprocal link between the stories leaders told about becoming leaders and their current leadership styles. They warn, “This means that rigidly using only one lens could limit your ability to experiment with different styles over time.” For example, Meister et al., say, if you see yourself only as a leader when and if others are following you (accepting theme), your identity may be highly tied to the perceptions of others. That could hold you back from claiming a new leadership role unless you’re asked to do so. Clinging only to one theme also may constrain who you seek as role models and influence who you tap to take on new leadership roles. For example, if you “have always been a leader” (being theme), or if you believe that leaders are leaders only when others follow them (accepting theme), it may be difficult for you to support a new leader who has an engaging or performing theme.
Before crafting your leadership origin story, Meister et al., suggest that you “experiment with different stories” that draw on different past experiences and memories of your leadership. Consider times when you stepped up during adversity to take needed action. Have others always considered you to be a leader? Did you find yourself assuming leadership roles in childhood? Meister et al., suggest, “Practice constructing and telling your origin story through different lenses,” and don’t feel limited only to one. The lenses or themes through which you tell your origin story can strengthen your identity and increase your adaptability.
Finally, Meister et al., caution leaders to consider whether their gender has influenced the theme through which they regard their origin story and leadership. Women in their study more often said they felt like leaders when they were actively doing what they consider to be leadership activities (engaging theme). Men, on the other hand, more often believed they became leaders when they achieved a particular role and said that they felt like leaders when they were taking care of their teams and performing the duties and responsibilities assigned to that role (performing theme). These gender differences are subtle but can have significant implications for how both women and men conceptualize their leadership and tell their origin stories. Meister et al., suggest that leaders “try out new lenses” as they work on their origin stories and uncover potential blind spots that could limit their advancement.
How to Craft Your Origin Story: Eleven Strategies
Now that you understand more about leadership origin stories, it’s time for you to create the first draft of your own story. Here are 11 strategies:
Put your audience first. There’s an implicit contract between storytellers and their audience that includes the promise that the audience’s expectations, once aroused, will be fulfilled. Guber(6) explains, “Listeners give the storyteller their time, with the understanding that he will spend it wisely for them. For most businesspeople, time is the scarcest resource; the storyteller who doesn’t respect that will pay dearly.” Guber calls fulfilling this promise “truth to the audience,” and suggests that leaders commit to crafting origin stories that are worthy of their listeners’ time. To meet the terms of this contract, and ideally overdeliver on it, great origin storytellers take time to understand what their listeners know about, care about, and want to hear. Guber says, “They then craft the essential elements of the story so that they elegantly resonate with those needs, starting where the listeners are and bringing them along on a satisfying emotional journey.” Begin working on your origin story by learning as much about your listeners as you can.
Position your story. Reveal the context, place, and time within which your story takes place. For example, if your story happened in the 1970s when you were seven years old and you were going for your first plane ride, those details are important, because they set the context to the story. The same goes for any assumptions and biases you or others had had at the time. De Zoysa says, “The listener can then listen to the story through the lens of the wide-eyed wonder of a child on a flight where smoking was not prohibited.”
Guide the audience’s emotions. Decide which emotions you want your origin story to provoke. For instance, Choy(7) says, rags-to-riches origin stories prompt feelings of empathy, “overcoming the monster” origin stories provoke fear and anger, and quest stories instill “a sense of restlessness as the audience wishes for quests of their own.” When you know the emotions that a certain plot is likely to inspire, you don’t have to wonder, “How will my audience feel after I share my origin story?” You can guide and predict their emotions with greater accuracy, Choy says.
Share your feelings, not just the facts. Lozupone(8) urges you to let your audience see the truth of what was going on “by inviting them to experience your lows and highs.” Don’t minimize or try to put a positive spin on the extent of your emotions. Let your audience see how the events you describe affected you emotionally, both in the moment and afterwards.
Be honest. Stick to the truth, and don’t exaggerate or embellish. De Zoysa warns, “Really, don’t make up facts,” or they will come back to bite you.
Include some magic. The most engaging leadership origin stories have a little bit of magic in them. Kerr(9) explains, “Magic keeps the audience interested. Most of the time, it’s the hero’s trusted advisor that gives them the magic needed.” For example, when Kerr tells his own origin story, the magic comes in the form of his boss (a trusted advisor) who encouraged him to write an article describing his theory for solving a particular business problem he was facing. Kerr says, “I did, and it was published by a major periodical at the time. I didn’t realize it immediately, but, I was about to learn firsthand about the power of the pen.”
Engage your audience’s five senses. Stauffer(10) suggests that your audience wants to “hear the birds, smell the bread baking, feel the wind, be in the crowded subway,” so provide them rich descriptions that will help them do that.
Show rather than tell. Your listeners want to draw their own conclusions. Therefore, don’t tell them, “That’s how I became a good leader,” because that is just telling them the conclusion. Instead, De Zoysa says, “Share stories that demonstrate your actions and behaviors that reveal how you were a good leader,” and let your listeners figure the rest out for themselves.
Incorporate an element of surprise when possible. Ideally, by the end of the story, your listeners will think, “We never expected that—but somehow, it makes perfect sense.” Guber says, “A great story is never fully predictable through foresight—but it’s projectable through hindsight.”
Exclude unnecessary details. Part of what makes storytelling difficult is that the more we reflect on our stories, the more details we remember. Choy suggests that you streamline and stay close to your plot, which she says can “keep your story on a straight path instead of entangled in the weeds of extraneous details.”
End your story by emphasizing your transformation and the wisdom you gained. Lozupone says, “Remember that you are still on your journey.” Describe how you strive to apply that wisdom every day in your leadership.
How and When to Tell Your Leadership Origin Story
It can be scary to share your origin story with others, especially at first. Disclosing our beginnings or the emotional, psychological, or even physical scars we carry can be the ultimate act of vulnerability. Lozupone explains, “No one wants to be judged for our choices, humiliated by embarrassing moments, or re-traumatized by our most painful experiences.” When sharing your leadership origin story, have confidence in your audience and draw on what you know about them.
Sharing your leadership origin story can feel liberating because of the positive impact it can make. Lozupone says, “Your origin story just might be the message that inspires someone, changes someone’s life, or delivers hope.” Similarly, someone in your audience may think, “If they can do it, so can I.” Consider how your origin story can help your listeners and how it can be useful to you, as it can be a powerful reminder of how far you’ve come and why you are the leader you are today. These additional tips will help to bolster your storytelling confidence and skill:
Rehearse your origin story until you feel comfortable and excited to tell it. Rehearse alone at first, out loud. Try speaking into a mirror. Then try recording and listening to it. Do this until you know the story cold and feel ready to share it.
Try out your story on a few people. Your first listener may be someone close to you who you trust. However, Guber suggests also that you choose one or two people who “aren’t already converts” to your leadership. That will give you a more realistic sense of how your real audience may respond.
Smooth over any rough spots. As you rehearse, pay attention to any parts of your story that make you even a little uncomfortable. Are they boring? Unclear? Just not feeling right? Guber says, “Getting your story right …means working past a series of culs-de-sac and speed bumps to find the best path.”
Tell your story like you are talking to a trusted friend, even when you are speaking to strangers. Stauffer says, “Tell it like you talk.” However, remember to stay on track. Stauffer warns, “Find a balance between clear details and over-explaining. Beware of ‘ranting’ about a subject — that can lead to losing a beginning, middle and end.”
Seize key moments to share your leadership origin story. We don’t have to save our story only for dramatic, high-stakes occasions, Laughlin says, “like the classic football half-time speech when the team is down by three touchdowns.” Less dramatic opportunities to share your origin story happen all the time, and Laughlin suggests three of them: when taking on a new position; when orienting a new direct report; and when launching a project. At these moments, Laughlin says, “Help people understand who you are and what motivates you” by sharing your leadership origin story with them. Some may have heard it once before, but that’s OK. A well-crafted leadership origin story bears repeating. Just don’t wear it out.
Be willing to drop the script and improvise when the situation calls for it. Do not tell a memorized origin story word for word every time. That can sound contrived and mechanical. Guber says, “If you know your story well, you can riff on it without losing the thread or the focus.”
Discovering Your Leadership Superpowers:
75+ Possibilities
Each of us brings unique gifts to our world—for example, our patience, enthusiasm, creativity, analytical ability, optimism, vision, and generosity. These are your superpowers, the attributes and traits that you’ve had for most of your life, or that you developed because of something that happened to you. Henley(12) urges leaders to know their superpowers. She says, “The key is to know what they are…because once you have named them and claimed them, you can engage them at work more consciously. This is how you lead at a higher level with your team.” Knowing your superpowers and where they came from also can help you develop your leadership origin story.
Leaders don’t always recognize their superpowers, and many aren’t aware of how they positively affect the people they lead. Some leaders are uncomfortable naming their superpowers because doing so may feel too much like boasting. However, you can’t lead or craft your best leadership origin story without knowing your superpowers. Henley suggests that you ask five people who know you well to tell you what words describe you best. She says, “These people can be from your work or your home life—what matters most is that they know you well…because the people who know you best will know what your superpowers are.”
The words people use to describe you may be adjectives, but they can easily be refashioned into superpower nouns. For example, if people tell you that you are curious, funny, and smart, your superpowers would be curiosity, humor, and intelligence. Henley suggests that you compile a complete list and then edit it down to the three to five words that you believe to be your top superpowers. Henley says, “Write them down and memorize them” because knowing and owning your superpowers is in itself, “an act of power.”
The following list includes more than 75 possible leadership superpowers. You may see quite a few that you identify with, but which ones stand out to you the most? Do you know where those superpowers came from? If so, you may have just discovered your leadership origin story.
Accountability
Adaptability
Agility
Analytical ability
Caring
Character
Charisma
Clarity
Commitment
Communication
Community building
Confidence
Consistency
Courage
Creativity
Curiosity
Decisiveness
Delegating
Determination
Diligence
Drive
Emotional intelligence
Empathy
Empowerment
Enthusiasm
Fairness
Flexibility
Focus
Generosity
Goal setting
Gratitude
Grit
Honesty
Hopefulness
Humility
Humor
Inclusiveness
Innovation
Insight
Integrity
Intelligence
Inventiveness
Judgment
Kindness
Learning
Listening
Logic
Loyalty
Magnetism
Modesty
Observation
Open-mindedness
Optimism
Patience
Passion
Perspective
Persuasion
Positivity
Prioritizing
Problem solving
Relationship building
Resilience
Resourcefulness
Respect
Responsibility
Self-awareness
Self-discipline
Service
Sincerity
Speaking
Stamina
Strategy
Strength
Team building
Tenacity
Thoughtfulness
Tolerance
Transparency
Trust
Values
Vision
Vulnerability
Willpower
Writing
References
Bennett JB. Discovering your leadership superpowers and “origin story” on the journey to becoming an effective leader. Healthcare Financial Management Association blog. August 21, 2019. www.hfma.org/leadership/discovering-your-leadership-superpowers-and-origin-story/ . Accessed November 1, 2023.
Emmerson S. Why origin stories matter and how to tell yours. Echostories blog. February 22, 2018. www.echostories.com/how-to-tell-origin-story/ . Accessed November 1, 2023.
Rosenberg R. The psychology behind superhero origin stories: how does following the adventures of Spider Man and Batman inspire us to cope with adversity? Smithsonian Magazine blog. February 2013. www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-psychology-behind-superhero-origin-stories-4015776/ . Accessed November 2, 2023.
Meister A, Zheng W, Caza BB. What’s your leadership origin story? Harvard Business Review. August 10, 2020. https://hbr.org/2020/08/whats-your-leadership-origin-story . Accessed November 6, 2023.
De Zoysa M. Your origin story matters. Life and Leadership. August 30, 2021. https://medium.com/life-and-leadership/your-origin-story-matters-2e9a85401a6f . Accessed November 6, 2023.
Guber P. The four truths of the storyteller. Harvard Business Review. December 2007. https://hbr.org/2007/12/the-four-truths-of-the-storyteller . Accessed November 8, 2023.
Choy E. Leadership is hard; crafting origin stories shouldn't be—here’s how. Forbes blog. August 7, 2018. www.forbes.com/sites/estherchoy/2018/08/07/leadership-is-hard-crafting-origin-stories-shouldnt-be-heres-how/?sh=68aad81b2e78 . Accessed November 9, 2023.
Lozupone J. Why your origin story matters and how to tell yours. Wishful Doings blog. May 15, 2022. https://wishfuldoings.com/your-origin-story/ . Accessed November 8, 2023.
Kerr J. How to shape your origin story in a winning way. CEO World blog. June 23, 2021. https://ceoworld.biz/2021/06/23/how-to-shape-your-origin-story-in-a-winning-way/ . Accessed November 9, 2023.
Stauffer D. Telling our stories: a guide to writing your own story. Next Avenue blog. July 24, 2020. www.nextavenue.org/telling-our-stories-writing-your-own-story/ . Accessed November 9, 2023.
Laughlin J. Your leadership story: develop it and share it often. Best Practice Institute blog. https://blog.bestpracticeinstitute.org/leadership-story-develop-share-often-leadership-development-innovation/ . Accessed November 13, 2023.
Henley D. What’s your leadership superpower? Forbes blog. July 10, 2022. www.forbes.com/sites/dedehenley/2022/07/10/whats-your-leadership-superpower/?sh=2868a9cc531e . Accessed November 13, 2023.