In the Marvel universe, superheroes are usually misfits. They are the antithesis of conformity. In the real world, however, misfits usually aren’t viewed as superheroes with superpowers that the world (and companies) need.
More commonly, they’re seen as people who lack the right background or can’t fit into a company’s culture. It is rare to see a misfit survive in the corporate world. It is even rarer to see one thrive.
Yet if the popularity of the Marvel franchise is any indication, perhaps there is a deep-seated need within all of us to identify and claim our suppressed misfit superpowers. Doing so brings benefits to all.
Social psychologists have long shown that in the face of social pressure, uncertainty, and authority (or even the appearance of it), most people doubt their intelligence and go against their ethics or beliefs to fit in. When it comes to business, this not only negatively impacts that person, it adversely affects the entire culture—leading to groupthink that inhibits innovation and growth.
Given the intense pressure to fit in, how do we embrace our misfit selves, individually and collectively, so that we can tap the powers that lie there?
I’ve been a misfit from an early age, and here are a few lessons that I gathered from living and working around the world.
Get a strong ally early on
In the face of the many no’s you’ll inevitably get as a misfit, having a strong ally will help you forge a path forward. As a girl growing up in a culturally conservative society in India, I was used to hearing no a lot. Girls were not supposed to do the many things that I wanted to do—play sports, get a driver’s license, or wear shorts even if it was 100 degrees out.
My superpower became the ability to turn no’s into yeses. One of the ways I did that was to excel in my studies, which made it easier for my father to become my ally. With my father as my ally, I gained greater freedom and was able to take part in experiences that other girls typically couldn’t.
The superpower of turning no’s into yeses worked until I graduated from college. It was time to get a job. I turned my sights to the corporate recruiters who were visiting my university. After a slew of interviews, every single company hired at least one student from my class—but I didn’t receive a single offer despite having top grades and a decent list of accomplishments. The dean asked the recruiters why. They told him that I had “too strong of a personality for a girl.” In other words, I was a misfit.
The dean (another ally) assigned me a career coach, who worked with me to temper my opinions, which allowed me to become more of a “culture fit.” It worked. I got hired—or at least the new, inauthentic version of me got hired.
My misfit-ness had to go undercover.
Be unapologetically you
Ultimately, being unapologetically you must become your superpower if you are going to be successful (and happy).
After landing my first job, I quickly realized that hiding who I was wasn’t going to get me very far. Instead of trying to join the herd, I tried to propel myself forward by getting more creative and resourceful.
An example of this was during one of my early roles at Johnson & Johnson, leading the company’s global market research and insights strategy. On one project, the initial research showed that there was a major opportunity for a new product in Asia—specifically, China. I made my pitch and was told that China was not a market of interest.
I was undaunted. My team and I went back and conducted a more thorough analysis. We delivered an even stronger pitch that linked the proposed new product to the company’s core purpose and mission of supporting patient health. Specifically, we proved that putting this product on the market would give teenage girls a healthier choice over the locally produced, low-quality products that could harm their eyesight. This was an opportunity for my company to embody its vision of “doing good in the world.” I got my yes, and the product is still a top seller to this day.
Staying core to who I was—analytical, perseverant, assertive—paid off, and I urge you to be unapologetically you, too.
Stay humble
When I was growing up, teachers, friends, and family members would have described me as confident—maybe even cocky. “Humble” was definitely not a word they would have used. However, after my stint as an undercover misfit, I gained a superpower I hadn’t anticipated: humility.
It came in handy later on in my career, when I became the Chief Diversity Officer at Dow Jones. The CEO and I had the same objective but different approaches. He was under tremendous pressure and wanted to see action and outcomes within 30 days. However, I knew that for any changes to be truly effective, I needed time to listen to what people had to say instead of just going in and telling them what to do (a perspective, by the way, gained from being a misfit).
My goals were expansive, but I had to start small. Instead of pitching a global approach, I started locally. The CEO needed to see the power of the results we were getting. My job was to bring him, metaphorically speaking, into the room where the discussions were happening—even if he couldn’t physically be there. So after every listening session, my team created an infographic showing the results and then delivered that graphic to the CEO and his direct reports in the closest thing to real time. This catalyzed their interest and engagement in the program. The overall result of this global listening tour was a more empowered workforce, increased employee engagement, and additional revenue streams.
My work—staying humble, listening to employees across all levels, and learning along the way—paid off, and so can yours.
Attracting and retaining talent is essential. Research has shown that if employees feel valued (meaning seen and heard), productivity and innovation increase. In a tight labor market, this is even more so. Divergent ideas and approaches need to be fostered. Leaders need to develop their misfit superpowers and foster them in others. Doing so will create greater resilience, humility, creativity, productivity, and empathy—perhaps the greatest superpower of all.
Smita Pillai is the global Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer at Regeneron.
Recognize your brand’s excellence by applying to this year’s Brands That Matter Awards before the final deadline, June 7.
Sign up for Brands That Matter notifications here.
