I Marvel At Your Career
How can you be a career superhero?
Lately I’ve been thinking about what it means to be a superhero, especially when it comes to Marvel’s “The Avengers,” a franchise with which I have long been obsessed.
Sometimes, even superheroes arrive to the scene too late. The damage is already done. And it can be confusing to tackle a problem from the middle stages. Don’t we all wish we knew where we belonged from the beginning? Of course. But as our beloved Tony Stark says, “If we can’t protect the world, you can be damn sure we’ll avenge it.”
On this sunny New Orleans Tuesday, I thought I’d share with you this and a few more Marvel takeaways that can inform the growth of our careers.
Innovation can come at a price. And that price may cost you.
We all know there are casualties that come from innovation. Many people don’t even like to talk about them. But I, through #DataFemme, am a champion for Ethical AI. And I firmly believe that every life that could be potentially negatively impacted by the growth of technology should be protected and taken into consideration.
Businesses don’t often engage with this kind of empathy when they commit to chasing dollar signs at all costs. Most of the time, this “profitable” numbness is propagated by the fact that business executives don’t come face to face with the casualties they cause. But once in a while, the casualties of innovation will impact those with unexpected power, such as the Maximoff twins. There’s a fine line between rolling in dough and ending up on the wrong side of history.
Be careful, as data science advances, knowing that there is a difference between being “able” to push forward a new innovation and being “right” in doing so.
It’s easier than you think to adjust to the times.
Captain America was frozen in ice for 66 years. And when he woke up, he woke up to a world that had advanced beyond his imagination. Moreover, he had no time to adjust before being thrown into battle. What got him through? Collaboration. Though technology and its consequences had escalated since Cap was last in action, camaraderie is one and the same. With quick quips from Iron Man, sincere support from Romanov and the different but equally significant confusion of Thor, Steve Rodgers is able to adjust to the workings of a new war room.
if you’re switching into a new career: find your tribe, be honest when you need help with the lingo and delve into teamwork. Industries may require different domain knowledge, but teamwork is universal across fields and centuries.
Protect your assets, but don’t hide them from the world.
At the onset of the Black Panther story, we find out that Wakanda and its mine of Vibranium have been kept hidden from those on earth. T’challa, after hearing about the sufferings of others on Earth, is inclined to at least consider sharing Wakanda’s valuable resources with the rest of the world. And ultimately, a channel is opened.
Control the way in which you share your talents and skills with the world at large, but also be consistently considering how your gifts could potentially help people in need. In other words, be strategic and pragmatic about the ways in which you open yourself up to the market of your chosen industry. Have a plan in mind and execute the release of your skills according to that plan. The best part of having wealth is to use it to change others’ lives. And though you may not give without reservation or caution, you can successfully give enough.
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