I want you to do something this week. It's simple but it might be one of the most powerful things you do all year.
Text or email five people you trust and ask them one question: What do you think my unique superpower is?
That's it. Just ask. Then listen to what comes back.
A few years ago I did this exercise myself. I reached out to people I trusted and asked them the same question. The answers blew me away. Person after person said some version of the same thing. You build trust quickly. You connect with people in a way that makes them feel safe.
I didn't see that in myself. I was too close to it. It felt so natural to me that I didn't recognize it as a strength. But hearing it reflected back from people I respected changed how I thought about everything. Including the decision to eventually leave corporate and start my own business.
I lean into that awareness all the time now. It's become a compass.
Here's the thing. You have one too. A superpower. Something you do so naturally that you probably don't even notice it. But the people around you see it clearly.
We're all uniquely and wonderfully gifted. But sometimes we can't see ourselves because we're too close to ourselves.
That's why this exercise matters.
I was with a group of leaders recently. My business partner Jim Hunter, the founder of PeopleBest, walked them through what I can only describe as a 3D MRI of how they're wired. Not just what they do. Why they do it. Their tendencies. Their drivers. The places where their wiring shows up as strength and the places where it quietly creates friction.
Jim has spent 20 years building the science behind this. I add the color and facilitate the workshop. But the data is his, and it's remarkable what it surfaces.
One thing that came up for several people? A low natural tendency toward trust. Not a character flaw. Just wiring. And nobody had ever named it before.
At first there was silence. That specific quiet where something real is being processed. We took a break. Came back. And the floodgates opened. Hours of honest conversation. Not because I said anything brilliant. Because people could finally see themselves clearly.
That's what awareness does. It turns the invisible visible.
I think personal development has let a lot of people down here. We jump straight to tactics. Habits. Systems. Morning routines. All useful. But if you don't understand your own wiring first, you're optimizing without a map.
Start with knowing yourself. Not what's on your resume. Not the strengths you perform for other people. The real stuff. What drives you. What depletes you. Where you thrive and where you've always quietly struggled.
That's the starting point. Not a better habit. Not a new system.
Awareness first. Always awareness first.
Because you cannot build what you cannot see.
So this week. Five people. One question. What do you think my unique superpower is?
I promise you'll be encouraged. And hopefully a little enlightened.
Let me know what comes back. I'd love to hear.
Thanks for reading!
Jon
P.S. Two things. First, the next With Intention Leadership Cohort kicks off Thursday, May 21st. Small group. Real work. Assessments, coaching, and a community of people committed to growing. A few spots are still open. Reply if you want to learn more.
Second, if this resonated and you want to go deeper on the awareness-to-action framework, my book With Intention lays the whole thing out. You can grab it here.