Unmask your inner superhero to know and inspire your people

It’s refreshing and exhilarating when pop culture successfully embeds deep insights and life lessons in cartoonish entertainment. Sam Raimi did it with Tobey McGuire’s Spider-Man. Brad Byrd did it with The Incredibles. And Christopher Nolan did it with Christian Bale’s Batman Begins:

Rachel: I never stopped thinking about you. About us. And when I heard you were back, I . . . I started to hope . . . Then I found out about your mask.

Bruce: Batman’s just a symbol, Rachel.

Rachel, touching Bruce’s face: No, no, *this* . . . is your mask. Your real face is the one that criminals now fear. The man I loved—the man who vanished—he never came back at all.

We all wear masks. Loving parents need to act as firm disciplinarians. Compassionate teachers need to act as strict taskmasters. Leaders who want to help their people develop their potential need to demand accountability so that all the members of their community can grow together.

The challenge comes from knowing when to keep the mask in place, when to let the mask down, and how not to lose yourself by forgetting the difference between the mask and the real identity behind it. Which brings us to our latest entry in the Ethical Lexicon:

Persona (per·​so·​na/ per-soh-nuh) noun

The role or character assumed or adopted by an author, actor, or player

The social facade or front one presents to others

Persona derives from person, which is Latin for “mask.” It is also the root for derivatives, such as impersonate, personality, and personnel. All this should prompt us to consider how much social culture is based on authenticity and how much is dictated by playacting.

The revered psychologist Carl Jung asserted that the human psyche is designed for, and benefits from, play. According to Jungian analytical play therapy, the “power of healing and transformation comes directly from within the child, and not from any outside technique or person.” And what more elemental form of play is there than pretending?

We all contain elements of both feminine emotionalism and masculine rationalism; in Jungian jargon, the anima and the animus, respectively. Grappling with this dual nature, the human psyche shifts back and forth between disparate components in an unconscious effort to achieve balance. By adopting different personas, we explore the various aspects of our own personalities. This process of experimentation helps us discover and actualize the most authentic and least dysfunctional expression of ourselves.

When little children play dress up, they are subconsciously trying to define themselves as the adults they will eventually grow into. When their play crosses traditional gender lines, they are similarly exploring the complementary elements of their own personalities that contribute to them eventually maturing into well-rounded individuals.

Adults benefit from role-playing as well. Career coaches prepare clients for interviews. Marriage counselors provide couples an opportunity to play each other and better understand the dynamics of their relationship. Team-building exercises create an environment for taking on and testing different responsibilities.

Ultimately, adopting different personas enables us to learn empathy, which is the first quality that defines ethical leadership. The ability to see through the eyes of one’s followers is critical for any leader who wants to earn trust, command respect, and foster a culture of loyalty and commitment.

Emotionally intelligent leaders therefore strive to put themselves in their people’s place by asking themselves questions such as:

• Am I effectively communicating my vision?
• Am I setting reasonable expectations, and am I requiring accountability?
• How are my people interpreting my actions and decisions?
• Are my policies and practices transparent?
• Do I trust my people, and am I giving them reason to trust me?

At the same time, followers have a responsibility to try to see through the eyes of their leaders. The view from the top, the bottom, and the middle can be dramatically different from one another; just as bosses and managers are limited to seeing from one angle, so too are the rank and file. That’s why transparency is so important.

Devices as simple as a suggestion box or a town hall-style meeting can open up the lines of communication in a big way. More importantly, they allow all parties to see through the eyes of one another, to lower their masks, and perceive one another as who they really are.

Additionally, when formulating any policy or decision, it’s a best practice to appoint devil’s advocates. This is not merely to argue the other side, but to also anticipate every potential objection and possible fallout. By adopting the persona of each affected party, you will organically end up with more coherent policies and be better able to communicate them to your people.

When we drop our own mask, we reveal our authentic self and encourage others to recognize our sincere intentions and honest designs. When we put on the masks of others, we more fully understand them so we can build bridges to better connect with them. By doing both, we create a culture of collaboration and partnership virtually guaranteed to drive exponential success.

It’s part of the job description. After all, as we learn from Peter Parker, this is the gift—the curse—of leadership: With great power comes great responsibility.