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Are You Batman or Robin?

In sports, everyone likes to talk about the Batmen and the Robbins. 

Jordan needed Pippen, Montana needed Rice, and Seaver needed Bench. The best players in their respective sports are almost always tied to another very talented teammate. There is no question that the elevation of ‘Batman’ was aided by the pairing with ‘Robin’ and ‘Robin’ clearly benefited from siding with ‘Batman’. They’re symbiotic.

From a performance standpoint, that is clear. And, since the performance was excellent in comparison to others at the time, we assume it was symbiotic in all other ways as well. The most significant consideration to examine is Robin’s feelings about his position. It’s not something we typically think about. 

Is it really beneficial to both if, deep down, Robin wants to be Batman?

Of course, we would be naive to think envy and jealousy do not play a part at all. For every Robin that is content in his role, there are at least five that are longing, or worse yet, scheming to be Batman.  Even Batman isn’t always happy - sometimes he wants to be Superman.

Embracing a role is a real superpower.

Why Should We Care?
We all imagine ourselves as the center of everything that runs through our mind. We always see ourselves as the main character. And, that’s perfectly normal - I mean, why would you cast yourself as anyone else?

But, step back and think about that for a minute. Although we see ourselves as the main character, others don’t share that perspective. As a matter of fact, they have the complete opposite perspective: they see themselves as the main character. This simple reality exposes a difference that every team, and leader, must deal with.

After all, our perspective is our reality and for most of us that means … We think we are Batman.

Contrary to most professional sports team’s approaches to roster construction, the best teams are not full of all Batmans. This turns out to be great news for those of us that come to the realization that we aren’t Batman, but not such good news for those of us charged with helping others realize they are not Batman.

So, how do we help those in roles outside of Batman to not only accept their role, but to embrace it in such a way that they drive the culture and performance of the team upward regardless of their position, or role, on the team? How do we remove resentment?

REAL TALK - Action Steps
Commitment to one’s role is the most defining mark of a team member's commitment to the team. Here are a few simple ideas on helping your team members embrace the role you are asking them to play, even if it doesn’t involve a cape.

• Create Clarity in Duty
  
  • Many times roles are not embraced because people do not understand exactly what they are expected to do (and what not to do - equally as important). This needs to be crystal clear and is more powerful if teammates have clarity on the role as well. Stating these publicly eliminates questions and establishes a standard. However, it also paints sharp lines so be sure you have clarity before attempting to help others have it.
    

• Create Clarity in Value
  
  • Every job matters. Sure, every leader says it with their words but not every leader says it with their actions. We have to be ultra-intentional to highlight the work of those on our team that do the work behind the scenes which provide the foundation for everyone else’s work to be seen. All roles are not created equal, but all are equally important to the success of the team. The slightest variance from that mindset will be felt, and reciprocated, by our teams.
    

• Create Systems to Honor
  
  • Creating a system that allows those team members thriving in public to recognize those serving them is powerful in helping everyone appreciate the value and contribution each team member provides. If left to chance, this simply does not happen regularly enough. Here are a few ideas we’ve used:
    
    • Moments of Greatness - Team members share something another team member did for the team that is central to our culture and values. Note, this is not performance based. It is cultural and behavioral based. We typically do this at the start of a team meeting.
      
    • Blind Praise - One team member sits with their back to the rest of the group while the other team takes turns sharing praises around that person’s role. Set a specific amount of time and rotate team members with their back to the group.
      

Roles are empowering. They provide you with a clear path to contributing the most you possibly can to the team. No role is more important than the other. There are no MVPs on real teams.

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