Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

How to discover your superpowers, own your story, and unlock personal growth | Donna Lichaw (author of The Leader’s Journey)

Feb 25, 2024

01:27:03

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Explore the power of personal narratives in leadership and uncovering superpowers. Embrace weaknesses as strengths and navigate imposter syndrome. Discover personal superpowers through reflection and small experiments. Manage Zoom fatigue and embrace mindfulness for profound learning.

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Quick takeaways

Identifying superpowers through past peak experiences aids in leveraging strengths for growth and fulfillment.

Tracing pivotal moments in the journey uncovers core strengths, enabling effective application in personal and professional endeavors.

Balancing weaknesses with strengths is crucial for success; optimizing energy through alignment with strengths enhances effectiveness and satisfaction.

Deep dives

Identifying Superpowers: Extracting Strengths from Past Experiences

To identify one's superpowers and strengths, individuals are advised to reflect on peak experiences from their past, including childhood and recent life events. By examining moments that made them feel energized and at their best, themes of their superpowers can surface. These peak life experiences serve as a valuable guide to understanding and leveraging personal strengths for future growth and fulfillment.

Uncover your superpower through your past stories

01:40

Focus on What Gives You Energy

01:22

Being the Hero of Your Story

01:14

Embracing Imposter Syndrome for Growth

00:32

Introduction

5min

Uncovering the Power of Personal Narratives in Leadership

21min

Navigating Imposter Syndrome and Personal Narratives

6min

Embracing Kryptonite: Turning Weaknesses into Strengths

8min

Navigating Communication Preferences and Leveraging Strengths in Leadership

4min

Discovering Personal Superpowers through Reflection

15min

Managing Zoom Fatigue and Virtual Interactions

3min

Discovering Personal Superpowers through Small Experiments

15min

Guest Recommendations and Interview Insights

5min

10.

Exploring a Favorite Life Motto for Optimism and Radical Appreciation

2min

11.

Embracing Mindfulness for Profound Learning

3min

Donna Lichaw is an internationally sought-after executive coach, keynote speaker, and best-selling author. She helps visionary founders, CEOs, and executive teams level up their leadership and scale their impact while staying true to their mission, purpose, and themselves. Donna works with leaders at companies like Google, Disney, Twitter, Microsoft, Mailchimp, and Adobe, as well as a plethora of mission-driven startups and nonprofits. In our conversation, we discuss:

• How our personal narratives influence our success and failure

• Why identifying your superpowers (and kryptonite) is so important, and how to do it

• The value of doubling down on your strengths rather than trying to fix weaknesses

• How to acknowledge and reframe feelings of impostor syndrome

• The Double Diamond framework for personal growth and goal-setting

• The power of visualization and how it can fuel motivation and creativity

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Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/how-to-discover-your-superpowers-own-your-story-and-unlock-personal-growth-donna-lichaw-author/

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Where to find Donna Lichaw:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dlichaw/

• Website: https://www.donnalichaw.com/

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Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

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In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Donna’s background

(04:25) Donna’s origin story and transition to coaching

(08:38) The power of storytelling in leadership

(11:36) Becoming the hero of your own story

(14:49) Changing your story

(21:19) Understanding and shifting others’ stories

(25:41) Imposter syndrome

(31:28) Exploring different types of kryptonite

(36:41) Identifying and leveraging strengths

(43:53) Identifying superpowers

(56:39) Running experiments

(01:01:52) Using product frameworks for personal growth

(01:12:41) Identifying subconscious goals

(01:15:27) Envisioning impact

(01:16:44) Lightning round

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Referenced:

• The Leader’s Journey: Transforming Your Leadership to Achieve the Extraordinary: https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Journey-Transforming-Leadership-Extraordinary/dp/1959029134

• Effective Leadership Is Transformational, by Ken Blanchard: https://www.chieflearningofficer.com/2019/06/13/effective-leadership-is-transformational/

• Ken Blanchard’s website: https://www.blanchard.com/

• How to write a kickass README: https://dev.to/scottydocs/how-to-write-a-kickass-readme-5af9

• This Week #5: Overcoming impostor syndrome, introducing growth to an org, and how to partner with your Data Scientist: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/this-week-overcoming-impostor-syndrome

• Community Wisdom: Dealing with impostor syndrome as a PM: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/community-wisdom-dealing-with-impostor

• Stuart Smalley: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Smalley

• Kryptonite: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kryptonite

• How Dyslexic Thinking Gives Entrepreneurs a Competitive Edge: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisoncoleman/2023/05/16/how-dyslexic-thinking-gives-entrepreneurs-a-competitive-edge/

• Characterizing Creative Thinking and Creative Achievements in Relation to Symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9283685/

• Robert Iger: https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/leaders/robert-a-iger/

• CliftonStrengths test: https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx

• VIA Character Strengths: https://www.viacharacter.org/

• How to fire people with grace, work through fear, and nurture innovation | Matt Mochary (CEO coach): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/how-to-fire-people-with-grace-work-through-fear-and-nurture-innovation-matt-mochary-ceo-coach/

•10 Steve Jobs Quotes That’ll Stick With You Long After You Read Them: https://www.themuse.com/advice/10-steve-jobs-quotes-thatll-stick-with-you-long-after-you-read-them

• Gestalt coaching: https://gestaltcenterforcoaching.com/

• Gestalt therapy: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/gestalt-therapy

• Head, Heart and Hands: http://creatingminds.org/tools/head_heart_hands.htm

• Managing nerves, anxiety, and burnout | Jonny Miller (Nervous System Mastery): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/managing-nerves-anxiety-and-burnout-jonny-miller-nervous-system-mastery/

• The User’s Journey: Storymapping Products That People Love: https://www.amazon.com/Users-Journey-Storymapping-Products-People/dp/1933820314

• For All Mankind on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/for-all-mankind/umc.cmc.6wsi780sz5tdbqcf11k76mkp7

• Ted Lasso on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/ted-lasso/umc.cmc.vtoh0mn0xn7t3c643xqonfzy