Superpower Excavation from Peak Stories
Find your true strengths by overlaying three peak-experience stories and spotting the theme that recurs.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 90%
Rather than trusting a strengths quiz (a decontextualized list you'll forget), Lichaw excavates superpowers from your own history. You surface three peak experiences — a childhood one, a recent one, and the meandering path into your current work — narrate each, then lay them on top of one another. The theme that pops through at the key moments is your actual superpower, stated as a specific verb, not a vague label like 'strategy.' You then transpose it to where you want to go and watch for over-use.
Origin
Donna Lichaw's method from The Leader's Journey, positioned as an alternative to StrengthsFinder and the VIA Character Strengths test (which she references but finds less useful because they lack personal context).
Core principles
- 01Generic strength labels ('I'm a strategist') are meaningless — a real superpower is specific and verb-like (e.g. 'connecting themes and connecting people to ideas').
- 02Superpowers live in your stories, past and present — extract them from lived peak experiences, not a quiz.
- 03Don't separate work and life; peak experiences from life reveal strengths that transfer to leadership.
- 04A peak experience is when you were at your best and lit up — it need not be happy or sad, just energizing.
- 05Strengths operate on a continuum with Kryptonite: the same superpower over-indexed becomes a liability.
- 06Playing to strengths is far more effective than fixing weaknesses — fixing what's broken is mostly a waste of energy.
How to run it
- 1
Recall a childhood peak
Go back as far as you can — a project or thing you were part of as a kid that completely lit you up and excited you.
Pro tip If you have no childhood memories, that's fine — proceed with the other two.
- 2
Recall a recent peak
Identify a project from roughly the last 10 years that jazzed you up and you were thrilled to do.
- 3
Trace how you got into your current work
Map the meandering path that led you to the thing you do now — the choices and pulls along the way.
Pro tip Probe each story with 'what was it about this that pulled you?' repeatedly — the answer beneath the answer is where the theme lives (e.g. 'I wanted to see if I could do it').
- 4
Overlay the three stories and find the recurring theme
Lay the stories on top of one another and look at the key moments. The superpower is what pops through in all three — stated specifically. If you can impact at least three scenarios you'll find the theme.
Pro tip Cross-check against energy: superpowers give you energy, so 'what lights me up / energizes me' is corroborating evidence.
Watch out Watch for false labels imposed by others (360 reviews said 'attention to detail' when the real superpower was 'connecting things').
- 5
Transpose forward and guard against over-use
Ask how to apply this superpower toward where you now want to go, and name where over-indexing on it has done you a disservice so you can watch for it.
Pro tip You can reach the same outcome with different superpowers — a loud, charismatic CEO and a quiet, deliberative one can both be great; use yours.
Watch out A problem-solving superpower over-used at senior level means you're stuck in the weeds doing everyone's work instead of your real job.
In the wild
An executive's 360 reviews praised her 'attention to detail' — which she hated and considered her Kryptonite — and she kept getting more detail work as a result. She'd have labeled her strength 'strategy,' which Lichaw calls meaningless. Excavating her past stories revealed she lit up when connecting themes, trends, pieces, and connecting people to ideas.
→ 'Connector' became one of her superpowers and part of her identity; she shed the 'attention to detail' label and became more effective.
Live on the show, Lichaw probes Lenny's peaks — selling and starting his startup. Under repeated 'what pulled you?' questioning, the theme surfaced: he started the company to prove to himself he could, and felt he had the skills. Combined with a shy childhood and 'a chip on my shoulder' to show what he could do, a candidate superpower emerged: doing things because he can.
→ Demonstrates the overlay method surfacing a personal theme in real time, with its shadow side (over-indexing on 'I'll do it because I can') acknowledged.
Common mistakes
Relying on a strengths quiz alone
A decontextualized top-five list is forgettable and gives you no story to act on; Lichaw finds the tests less useful than excavating your own peak experiences (though she suggests using a quiz as light supporting context).
Accepting a vague or externally-imposed label
'I'm a strategist' means nothing, and a 360 review calling you 'detail-oriented' may bury your real strength. The superpower must be specific and drawn from your own evidence.
Is it for you?
Best for
Anyone — especially leaders — trying to identify what they're genuinely great at so they can double down instead of fixing weaknesses.
Not ideal for
People who want a fast, quiz-style label without doing reflective narrative work.
From the transcript
“pull your superpowers out of your stories from your your past and your presence and then eventually figure out how to apply them and transpose…”
“if you could impact at least three of those scenarios you would find themes”
“she was really great at connecting connecting things together connecting themes connecting pieces Trends and connecting people connecting ideas together”
“when we play to our strengths we're much more effective than when we try to fix what's broken”
“if you're using your superpowers you will have more energy”
From the episode
How to discover your superpowers, own your story, and unlock personal growth
Donna Lichaw (author of The Leader’s Journey)