Innovation for Social Change

Chapter 11Discover Your Superpower

I find that social entrepreneurs know their own “superpower,” meaning that they know their comparative advantage and when to say no.

I once heard a nonprofit CEO give the following advice to a group of new employees: “Be ruthlessly attuned to your comparative advantage.” Later, I kept wondering, what exactly did he mean by that?

It turns out that comparative advantage is not just putting into practice what you are especially good at; you have to make the best use of your time, talents, and limited resources.

If someone asked you to describe your secret superpower, what would you say? What are your gifts? Your skills? Your strengths? What fulfills you and puts the fire in your belly? Think about the unique skills and experience that you contribute to your work, your family, and your community. Taking a cue from organizing guru Marie Kondo: What sparks joy?

An executive of a family foundation encourages grantees to “choose the best from the good opportunities” because, of course, we can't do everything. What makes you feel dissatisfied or spread too thin? Are you a guardian of your time and talents in the same way you protect your bank account? Every day we all think through trade‐offs: if I spend time/money on X, then I will not have time/money for Y. Achieving clarity about our talents and the best use of our time helps us think through our options and helps us confidently say no—freeing up our resources for better pursuits.

For example, Fred ...