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The Superman metaphors

Business

Sooner or later, we are all superheroes.

Superman wears a costume. As we all do.

He isn’t great at time management, always focused on the urgency at hand instead of investing in long-term planning.

He rarely works to change the foundational system he’s part of.

Supervillians exist in opposition to him and his work. Without him, they have no purpose.

He has a closely-guarded secret identity he doesn’t want the world to see.

Reputation, trust and good work are at the heart of his brand.

He misses home. In fact, his uniform is made from his baby blanket.

When technology evolves, he gains new powers.

In the official narrative, the Bechdel test is rarely passed. We can tell better stories than that.

His best exploits involve thoughtful strategy. The punching is boring.

When it counts, he shows up with bravery.

His most important relationships are based on mutual trust.

It turns out that bending steel with his bare hands is a distraction from the real point.

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The four arcs

Business

They can carry us away, amplify our work or slowly change everything around us. These arcs can easily become invisible forces, pushing us to make choices and to ignore their origins or consequences.

Capitalism is the most common one, along with its shadow, industrialism. We show up on behalf of the invisible hand, engaging with the market in search of profit and productivity. It begins by serving the market, but can become soulless industrialism. The work can be focused on finding a need and filling it. Or it can shift to “I’m just doing my job,” and “If I don’t do it, somebody else will…”

Technology evolves as a species, and we either work for it or against it. The folks who enabled the internet to go from five minutes to eight hours of our day were working on behalf of this now-visible and increasingly dominant cultural force.

Scarcity is the path of power. Connection is the way toward abundance. Connection creates culture and possibility, while the inverse, scarcity, creates a kind of value. Some work to create status roles and monopolies and the leverage that we have over others, while others work toward resilience and mutual support.

Justice is the one that Reverend Parker argued for. It doesn’t happen by itself, and it doesn’t always support the three other arcs, but with effort, we have the chance to bend it.

Which ones are pushing you forward and narrating your days?

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Flailing

Business

There isn’t much of a correlation between how fast you swim and how much energy you put into it.

In fact, drowning people burn plenty of calories but they don’t go anywhere.

When we’re confronting a new problem, more effort might not be the answer.

It could be that we benefit by staying calm and focusing on our technique instead.

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