What is Kryptonite and why does it matter at work?

Maybe you can run a marathon. But I’m sure you’d agree it would be harder with a weighted vest on.

Your math test becomes more challenging to ace, from your seat at a rock concert.

No matter how smart or strong we are, there are always factors that can make things more difficult. Sometimes, those factors might seem obvious to everyone, like in the examples I mentioned.

But often, what weakens us may either seem ordinary to others, or totally invisible.

“Oh my, what a beautiful green rock this is.”

When an ordinary citizen of Metropolis picks up a green rock, they might remark at its unique color, or shape.

If that person is Clark Kent, however…

He will immediately become weakened. Once more powerful than a locamotive, he’s now sweating, feeling ill, struggling to breathe.

• It’s not the rock.
• It’s not the person.
• It’s what the rock does to that person.

Weakness versus Weakened

One of the critical areas that we focus on in the User Guide workshop, is helping people identify their strengths and weaknesses. We expand that to cover superpowers, rocket fuel, triggers, and Kryptonite.

When we bring up Kryptonite, people often take that to mean something that we struggle with or something that is difficult. But that is not what is meant by Kryptonite.

Kryptonite is not a weakness of yours. Kryptonite is something that weakens you.

The distinction is important. One is something we’re encouraged to work on and may have the capacity to improve. The other is a reality we can only try to endure or remove.

Why are the lights so loud in here?

My user guide is extensive, almost 20 pages at this point. Until recently, the items listed in my Kryptonite section were primarily just a list of the types of work I struggle with.

It was only recently I came to understand the true meaning of the Kryptonite question.

I realized my Kryptonite is neither attention-to-detail nor my email response times.

• My kryptonite is being overstimulated by the amount and types of light or sound in a space.
• My Kryptonite is executive dysfunction because I’ve had too many inputs on a single day.
• My kryptonite is not getting enough sleep, disabling my cognitive capacity leaving me less capable to make decisions, solve problems, or even speak.

These are not skills to be improved but reactions that weaken me from a more powerful state of being.

When I’m at my best, I actually have more attention-to-detail and I’m more likely to get back to my emails faster. At my worst, weakened by my Kryptonite, even my greatest strengths falter.

The Piles of Rocks at Work

To others who can’t hear the incessant buzz of electricity in a room and for whom fluorescent lights are merely unflattering, my Kryptonite might just look like a green rock.

Similarly, how often do fail to even see the self-doubt that stops someone from taking the step they deserve. Are we annoyed at a person’s need for granular details, when it’s what they need to feel grounded enough to move forward at all.

Kryptonite is not a collection of your teams weaknesses. It’s a collection of the things that make them weak.

So when we assume we don’t have enough “A players” the reality could be that what we actually need is to get rid of all those tiny green rocks.

Just Assumptions

The first step in fixing all of this is to notice and interrupt the use of one of the most dangerous words in the English language: just

• Just add it to your backlog.
• Just get up a little earlier.
• Just delegate more.

Just is direct evidence of an assumption in progress.

It’s an assumption that what is making the other person weak is just a plain, unremarkable, tiny, green rock. It’s statement that you’ve been there before, and all you had to do is pick up that little green rock and toss it aside. After that, everything was just fine.

Just pick up the little green rock and throw it away, silly

A more useful assumption

Instead of assuming that everyone can just do what you do, assume that you have no idea what people need.

Then, get curious. Find out what your team needs, by asking them. Each person, individually. Kryptonite is unique to each person.

You might find out that someone isn’t broken, they are weakened. And once you know what’s causing it, you can take steps to help them become super once again.

---

Want to explore how the User Guide can transform your team?

Book a free exploratory call for us to show you how much more there is to uncover about each other. https://superimpactful.com/work-with-us/

I hope you enjoyed this post!

If you liked this post, then you will LOVE my newsletter (The Infinite Impact)
and my learning community (The Superhero Institute).