Did you know that Superman had a boss? Perry White, Editor of The Daily Planet newspaper, was Clark Kent?s boss.

We know that Superman and Clark Kent were the same person, so I feel safe in saying that Superman had a boss.

Of course, Perry White wasn?t able to imagine his bespeckled, mild-mannered reporter as a superhero in tights.

But what if he had known? I?m not talking about revealing the Clark Kent’s secret identity to the world but rather better using his talents at the newspaper. The Daily Planet could have benefited from this knowledge:

  1. Why buy plane tickets for Clark Kent if Superman can just fly to out of town stories.
  2. White could have gotten better news coverage by not sending Clark Kent and Lois Lane to the same breaking news events.
  3. Heck, the newspaper could have saved money by not having to give Kent employee benefits like health care.

I admit these are silly examples but is there a chance that many of your employees have talents that you?re not aware of?

Is it possible that they have a secret identity or talents that weren’t unmasked by their job descriptions? At a time when organizations are living in a world of downsized staff, it might be a good idea to survey your team and find out if they have any unused skills that could help. It would be an easy way to Clear the Path to increased productivity.

Some may argue that employees will resent being asked to do more. I’m not sure if that’s the case. People like to showcase their talents and sometimes even enjoy being a superhero.

While on the subject of Superman, you might enjoy this post about your personal Kryptonite.