{"version":"1.0","provider_url":"https:\/\/warpwire.duke.edu","provider_name":"Warpwire","is_public":true,"duration":0,"has_caption":true,"links":{"caption":[{"label":"English","url":"https:\/\/warpwire.duke.edu\/api\/caption\/qwYIAA\/311345\/vtt\/?nonce=a754ebc0c946dd3b76260579a02abb89&expiration=1787277600&signature=8ce7809373766a15d10bab05e02a601e68fc7e849c4ac8711a912c962e7c6806"}]},"views":0,"upload_date":"2023-11-16T13:44:53+00:00","description":"The team is joined by special guest, Corey Pilson, Duke Balthrop Cassidy Fellow, and are discussing some forgotten superpowers in the workplace? \r\n\r\nTranscript:\r\n- Hello, and welcome to the \"What's Career Got To Do With It?\" podcast, where we hope to provide a space for honest conversation and information that encourages the listener to take the next steps in their career journey. Wherever you're at in this process, we hope this episode will meet you with affirmation, guidance, and maybe some laughs along the way.\r\n\r\n- On today's episode, we are joined by special guest, Corey Pilson, Balthrop Cassidy Fellow, as we discuss an answer to the question. What are some forgotten superpowers in the workplace? Are you ready to be Batman\r\n\r\n- Hi Corey! on a Thursday?\r\n\r\n- Welcome, Corey. Welcome.\r\n\r\n- Hey! Welcome.\r\n\r\n- I wish I did have that button, that would be great.\r\n\r\n- No, yeah, thank y'all for having me. So, some forgotten superpowers in the workplace. Man, I feel like there are so many. There are always, whenever you think about a team in the workplace, there's always people that are not doing the most visible things, but are, like, essential to the team. So, I think about the people that, like, excel on Excel, you know, the people that make spreadsheets.\r\n\r\n- Mm-hm.\r\n\r\n- Or who can correlate data.\r\n\r\n- #CatherineAllen.\r\n\r\n- 'Cause listen, like, there's work that people like to do that, like, they can't do, but then there's work that people don't like to do that they can't do. And so, when you find people who are whizzes on Excel, like, one of my, the previous Balthrop Cassidy Fellow was a whiz on Excel. She could just , she had hotkeys and everything. And when I told you she made life so much easier for everybody all the time, woman's superpower. I think another superpower in the workplace is people who are able to facilitate conversation and bring the good ideas out of other people. You know, you always have that person in the meeting that has their ideas, but their value on the team is they can pull a great idea outta you. And that's also a superpower, I feel like.\r\n\r\n- Mm-hm.\r\n\r\n- And those are the superpowers that are kinda, like, forgotten. 'Cause those are, they're not super visible. Like, people aren't, they're not the people doing presentations or the people at the front of the, like, leading the meeting, but they're the people making sure that it gets to where it goes or it needs to be. You know?\r\n\r\n- Yeah.\r\n\r\n- Mm.\r\n\r\n- So, when you think about your role and what you're currently doing, what are some of your superpowers? And did you feel like you had to either learn a new superpower, or were you able to continue to cultivate one?\r\n\r\n- Nah, I can't do superpowered, man. I'm kidding.\r\n\r\n- I love it.\r\n\r\n- Period, period.\r\n\r\n- So, my role is very, it has two main functions. The first one is a presentation function, so there's a lot of presenting and meeting with people, and then it has just a curriculum function where we have to build out lesson plans and things like that. And I think my superpowers lie a lot in the first one. I think if you were to ask me what my superpower was, or somebody else, they would probably say, \"His ability to connect people, or connect with people.\"\r\n\r\n- Mm-hm.\r\n\r\n- Is a big piece of it. And then, I think I have a way with words, especially in front of a crowd, right? So, like, public speaking, and just speaking in front of people, I think, is something that I really enjoy and that I'm really good at. It's on my strength profile, you know.\r\n\r\n- Come on, pump it up, pump it up, strengths profile.\r\n\r\n- It is.\r\n\r\n- And then, I think connecting with people is something that I'm really good at. I think I have a natural knack with making people feel comfortable and making people wanna open up, and it makes it, in the workplace, especially at a place like Duke, it allows you to get a lot more done than you might normally get done.\r\n\r\n- I do agree with you, Corey, because the first week that I started was the week before homecoming. And I remember trying to figure out, I think Nicole and I were actually trying to figure out what a Mary Lou was.\r\n\r\n- Mm.\r\n\r\n- Because we weren't even on main campus yet.\r\n\r\n- Mm-hm, mm-hm.\r\n\r\n- And Corey walked up.\r\n\r\n- Hey, Smith Warehouse.\r\n\r\n- Corey walked up, \"Hey, how y'all doing?\" And was like, \"Y'all trying to find the Lou? Yeah, well come on, I got you.\" So it was so inviting, and I appreciate that, and from that point I was like, \"Oh yeah, that's Corey, that's a person that I know that I know I can ask questions to and be okay.\r\n\r\n- Yeah, man, that's a big thing for me. There were a few people like that when I was on campus. But also, when we talk about the communities we wanna build and all the DEI, and DEIBJ, all the alphabets, all of those things, whether we're talking about diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, justice, that starts with feeling welcome in a place. And so, I think helping to connect people and make people feel connected to the place that they're operating in and the space that they're operating in, I think is a big thing for me. 'Cause it just allows you to be successful, you know?\r\n\r\n- I agree. So listen, say you got your team, right?\r\n\r\n- Yep.\r\n\r\n- You putting this team together and you talked about, when putting the team together, what you're thinking about, give me your top five superpowers that you want. We already know Excel is one. 'Cause you went into a discussion about that one.\r\n\r\n- Yeah.\r\n\r\n- So, gimme four more superpowers that you want on your team.\r\n\r\n- Well, it's like, I think about my team, since we're talking about superpowered, you gotta think about it like any superpowered team, like the \"Justice League,\" \"The Avengers.\"\r\n\r\n- Whatever level DC.\r\n\r\n- Yeah, whatever, right? But it's like, they're, and if you notice with any team, they have, with any superpowered team, they have a similar set of team powers, regardless of the team. So they're always gonna have the super strong dude, so whether it's the Hulk or Superman, they're gonna always have somebody that they can just, like, the brawn, right, of the conversation. And I think, when it comes to the workplace, the supermen are the people who are just, they're the all around people. Their power is to like, kinda, is their all-purpose nature, right? So the person on your team that can build a slideshow, or do an Excel doc, or present when necessary, can kinda just, like, be your all tool is, I would say, that's like the Superman, the like, the superpower, right? Then you have the Captain America slash Batman, right? That's the strategist, right? That's the person that you can see a vision and give everybody the steps and the tools to do their part of the vision. Right? So you have, like, and so I think about Batman, 'cause like, you plan out somebody, I look at a lot of the directors on campus and they're, like, the Batmans, right? 'Cause it's like, they can see stuff five years out and say, \"Okay, let's work back from that,\" right? A lot of people can't see those 3000-foot-view stuff, they can't see stuff headed out, right? Then you have, like, most people, most teams have, like, their speedster. So, like, their Flash or their Quicksilver. And I think about this person in the office is just, like, the person that not necessarily that can do everything, but can almost be everywhere. Every team has that person that always feels, they're so busy it feels like they're in two places at once all the time. And it's like, we see you everywhere. I think about, I think, for your team, I think about, like, Meg, I feel I see her everywhere.\r\n\r\n- Mm-mm.\r\n\r\n- I'm like, I could be at a fair, at Fuqua, I could be, it's just, like, Meg Wilson is right here, bro. I feel like that's, it's like a speedster, right? Then, I'm trying to think. You have, like, your Aquaman, or your Namor, these are the people that survive in environments that other people don't really thrive in, right? So this person looks different for your team. So if you have a really extroverted team, this might be the person that is, like, I'm the person that's gonna sit down and do work in the office, without people talking to me a lot. Or if you have a not-so-extroverted team, this is a person who can go get people and bring 'em to you. It's a person that thrives in, it's, like, the opposite. It's like, this is the person that thrives in the environment that the team doesn't thrive in. And it's like, and then, I think, with any other team, you need the motivator, and this, like, I'm trying to think of who that might be, but it's just like, it could be, it's just the person that's gonna give that speech that-\r\n\r\n- Professor X.\r\n\r\n- Yeah, Professor X.\r\n\r\n- Yes!\r\n\r\n- Like, Professor X,\r\n\r\n- Professor X.\r\n\r\n- Professor X.\r\n\r\n- Yeah, it's like, just the Professor X. The person that can help people see the power they have in themselves, and execute on that, right? And so, it's like, I think if you have, it's less about the things that you're able to do and it's more about the energies, at least for me, on a team, because everybody can learn Excel, right? I can learn Canva to make a, I can learn how to put together a podcast. But if you don't have somebody who's motivating y'all, somebody who's extroverted, somebody who's introverted, someone that's willing to get in where they fit in. Someone that's willing to be in other spaces and connect with people, it doesn't really matter what you're good at. 'Cause nobody wants to deal with anybody in the office if y'all can't connect to people. And so, yeah.\r\n\r\n- That's true.\r\n\r\n- And so, I think y'all's team does it really well, 'cause you guys have that mixture of people. So, yeah.\r\n\r\n- You know what I think would be dope is if we had a career center, like, I feel like, Sophia, picture it.\r\n\r\n- Yeah.\r\n\r\n- Like, Sandia, I'm just saying, Meg, I'm just saying, like, if we were these characters and we all had our names and, I mean, the river unit did that\r\n\r\n- That'd be fun.\r\n\r\n- That would be pretty dope.\r\n\r\n- Y'all could put yourselves into AI. You could be, like, Angela's Captain America, and it would, you know, make you have a shield, and-\r\n\r\n- Yeah!\r\n\r\n- You know?\r\n\r\n- Mm-hm.\r\n\r\n- But yeah.\r\n\r\n- So let me ask you a question. Did you ever feel like some of the superpowers that you had, like, you know how sometimes you think you're doing the best you can do, and you're good at this, and, you know, you're good at communicating, and you're finding that it's not working? How do I improve upon this superpower? Have you, excuse me, I'm sorry. Have you encountered that?\r\n\r\n- I mean, yeah, I think so.\r\n\r\n- I mean it's very, like. Hmm. I think for somebody like me, many of the things that I feel like I'm good at, I feel like I've been good at for a long time.\r\n\r\n- Hmm.\r\n\r\n- Right? So, and I've always looked to improve. So it's always, like, sometimes it doesn't work, right? Sometimes I'm just like, dang, I just wasn't able to connect with that person. And usually, because, you know, their superpower's, like, if it was laser vision, and my laser vision wasn't working, I'm gonna be like, what the hell is wrong with that person? But I think if like, there have been times or lulls in my professional life where it was just like, I felt like I couldn't, nothing that I was doing was working in turn. Nothing that I thought that I would normally do was working. And I think, like, when those things happen, or when those times happen, you have to have confidence in yourself that you're not crazy, and that, okay, this isn't working, I'm noticing this isn't working, why might this not be working, right? What's the kryptonite of the situation? And so, I think a lot of times when it happens for me, it's, I was dealing with a person or a situation that didn't want it to work. Or sometimes it's, like, individual people, sometimes it's, like, systems, especially in the workplace, I think workplace or school, you're dealing with a system that's bigger than your individual superpowers, right?\r\n\r\n- So it's like, it doesn't matter how fast you can send an email if nobody's reading them, or it doesn't matter how, like, I can think of a bunch of things in the workplace where it's like, it doesn't matter how good you are at this presentation if you never get to present, and I think it's a matter, you have to think about where your superpower fits into the larger machine of whatever workplace you're in. And in the times where I realized, or where my superpowers weren't superpowering, you know, I feel like it was because I was trying to be a strong in a system that needed flexibility, or I was trying to beat around the bush in a system that needed directness, right? Or, you know, I was trying to talk for a long time in a system that needed people to be concise, right? And so, it's like, understanding what your power is, but how that might need to change based off where you're, like, what or who you're dealing with.\r\n\r\n- Mm-hm.\r\n\r\n- So can we talk a little bit more about that, right? When you, again, I go back to my athletic brain, right? When I used to work in athletics, and when you go to college from high school, you are no longer the only one that has the same superpower.\r\n\r\n- Right.\r\n\r\n- So what kind of advice would you give to maybe a young person who has freshly graduated, going into industry, and now may realize that somebody else has the same superpower as them? How do they keep themself from maybe feeling like, or letting imposter syndrome kind of get the best of them, especially since they see other people have the same superpower? What kind of advice would you give a young person to kind of keep going?\r\n\r\n- Well, I'd first start off by saying, like, this thing that we're doing, like, work, life, it's not really a competition. And it's like, I think it's tough when you're talking to students here, because it's like, everything feels like a competition, when you got here thinking, like, \"I'm the best, I'm the smartest, I'm the blah.\" But it's just like, that competition piece makes it hard for anybody to really feel happy in a space. Also, just a little piece of intersectionality, when you're a person of color, like, you just gotta be happy that there are other people there, and if they're smart and they have cool superpowers and you feel, especially if their superpower manifests in a way that's, like, more effective than yours, take that as an opportunity to learn. Because, chances are, they're not, they're not just inherently better. They didn't come out the womb like, \"Yo, I'm just a better public speaker 'cause my mama made me this way.\" It's like, no, they probably have more experience, or they have different experiences that have gotten them to this point. And so, it's like, if the quality of your superpower is something that you're stressed out about, get better at it, and like, yeah, just, 'cause there's no, I don't think there's any real reason to compare yourself to other people in the workplace if y'all are both doing your jobs well. And it's like, on any team, you know, going back to the athletic metaphor, you might have to change how your superpower manifests depending on your team.\r\n\r\n- Mm-hm.\r\n\r\n- Right?\r\n\r\n- Yeah.\r\n\r\n- Like, you might have to, for example, I'll give you a good example here. So in the gender violence space, we just hired a new director, right? And for the first time, like, me and this new director, we presented together. And because I've been presenting by myself for a year and a half, I took up 80% of the presentation time. And like, people liked the conversation and they enjoyed it, we got good feedback after, but in our conversation, it was just like, \"Hey, I gotta figure out ways to make space for this other person that presents really well as well,\" right? If we, and hopefully, and not hopefully, but in the future, when we figure out the actual cadence in how we go back and forth, our superpowers will compliment in a way that we're both bringing the best to this situation, and everybody's better for it. I'm doing less work, she's doing less work, and people are engaging with us in a different way, because both of our expertises are coming to this. And we both have things we can learn from each other, and so it's just like, stop taking the time to be like, \"Oh yeah, they're better than me at this. Like, that's why I feel insecure.\" It's like, \"They're better than me at this, and if I wanna be better at this, then like, then ask a question.\"\r\n\r\n- Do your own thing, yeah.\r\n\r\n- Yeah, ask a question, learn. Like, I just, I think part of the, and going back to earlier about part, like, part of my superpower is to connect, and I think part of that comes from the fact that, like, I really look at everybody as someone I can learn something from, right? Like, everybody in here does something better than I do it. And so, I'm really good at the things that I know I'm really good at, but I also know that everybody else has something they're really good at, and that thing might be the same thing as me. And insofar as it is, like, learn. It doesn't have to be a competition.\r\n\r\n- For sure. I think that's great advice, and I think it kinda goes back to when we spoke with Marcus, as well, too, and, you know, telling the young people to take time to learn about other people's superpowers. I'm a firm believer, kinda how you said, in my friend group, they're all smarter than me. I need people to be smarter than me so I can continue to learn. And then, kind of how you mentioned, as well, too, I know where my quote, unquote, \"weaknesses\" are, and which person in my group can help compliment that so that we can both get through something. So I think that's important. Kinda how you mentioned it's not a competition. If anything, it's always an opportunity to continue to learn something new, and just add some new tricks to your bag as you continue on throughout your career, or throughout relationships in life, and what that looks like, as well.\r\n\r\n- Because also just like, nobody wants to feel like they're in competition all the time. Hmm. In college, and in the professional world, you can kinda feel energy when people are coming to you, and they think that you're competition for them.\r\n\r\n- Mm-hm.\r\n\r\n- And, like, you can tell when people feel threatened or when people feel like you guys are supposed to be operating in the same space, and like, TBH, if you're thinking about beating me, honestly you're already losing. 'Cause like, I'm not thinking about competing with you in the workplace. I'm here to get my check. I'm here to support the life that I live, to pay my bills, and then I'm going home. Like, I don't need to beat you, bro. 'Cause we get the same paycheck. 'Cause we're not vying for promotion here at Duke. Like,\r\n\r\n- I mean, and that's valid, right? That goes back to that conversation we had with Dean Blackshear.\r\n\r\n- Yeah.\r\n\r\n- Even on the other side, right? He's not checking for what you're doing.\r\n\r\n- Bro.\r\n\r\n- And if you are doing what you need to do, there's no reason to check you.\r\n\r\n- Yeah.\r\n\r\n- So yeah, I mean, I think they definitely go hand in hand with each other, not only on the employee side, but on the managing side, as well, too. Lots of great gems, folks. Lots of great gems. We are heading towards the end of this particular episode, and what we always love to do is go around the room and talk about the gems that we took away from this episode. So who would like to start?\r\n\r\n- I'll start us off.\r\n\r\n- Go for it.\r\n\r\n- I think the one point I would to tag onto the end of everything that we've been talking about is the importance of self-awareness and being rooted and grounded in your self-actualization process. So going back to being aware what other people are doing, but not focused on what you're capable of doing. I think that's really important.\r\n\r\n- Mm-hm.\r\n\r\n- Knowing how to cultivate you at your best is, I think, the way to combat looking at other people as competition. And I think that's really important to communicate on this platform, through this mic, out to the people listening, is that it's just as valuable to work on being your best self as it is of seeing the best in others and looking to be that, but in your own form and fashion. And then I'll pass it on to the next person.\r\n\r\n- You know, I was kinda there, 'cause in my head, as Corey was talking earlier, I'm like, \"Yo, this is know yourself.\" Like, this is the very first step\r\n\r\n- Exactly.\r\n\r\n- In just trying to figure out who you are. And when you go into different spaces, your environment changes, the work changes, and you have to adjust, right? Like Aquaman, right? So I think it's just knowing where you are, knowing yourself, finding those superpowers, but then also taking the time to really learn, because you don't know everything. Nobody knows everything, right? So we should always be in a space where, no, we're not competing. I'm learning to get better for myself. And then, just, thirdly, just taking a chill pill. 'Cause it is not a competition. It is your journey.\r\n\r\n- It's not a race.\r\n\r\n- Just, like, do your best. Do what you're supposed to do, you know, give it everything you got, but just chill out for a little bit sometimes. Just take a moment.\r\n\r\n- And that one's gonna be mine. I appreciate hearing, \"It's not always a competition.\" Y'all, competition is exhausting. So I always take the view on, where am I going to spend my energy? I know I wake up every morning and only have but so much energy, and I wanna be very meticulous on where I spend it. So if you are waking up and starting off gate with everything as a competition, in my eyes, you have depleted a solid 87% of your energy that you have for the day, before you've even started. So really taking the time to think, \"Is this worth my energy, or can I be placing that energy somewhere else? One, to continue to better myself, two, to continue to learn something new, three, to contribute in a way that may be unique or that somebody needs, or am I truly going to wake up and spend a majority of my time figuring out who I'm in competition with for that day?\"\r\n\r\n- Hmm.\r\n\r\n- The only person you should be in competition with, ideally, is yourself.\r\n\r\n- Mm-hm.\r\n\r\n- To continue to grow and get better. And it doesn't affect your outlook on the day, or even your mental, if you kind of take into fact that the only person I'm competing with is the person that I'm looking in the mirror. She look great today, she got one hair outta place, we fine. Let's keep it moving. You know, you'd be amazed on how that changes your outlook on the day, and that's definitely why I encourage students, especially around here, compete with yourself, and that's it. Because the energy that you have, the time that you have to invest in each day is very, very, very, very important. And how you spend that time is just as important. Corey, you got any last dimes for us? Yeah, I mean, I just keep going back to, like, it's not a competition, it's really not that. I promise you, it's not that deep, and it's just, like, to everybody's point on self-reflection, and just, like, thinking inwards, every moment that you're trying to figure out, like, \"Oh, why are they in the space there,\" is a moment that you could just be getting better. And it's just, like, don't sit here and be like, \"Yo, they're muscly, and I don't get why they're so muscly,\" get in the gym.\r\n\r\n- Oh, muscly, I thought you said musty. I was like, hm. No, we want you to wash.\r\n\r\n- No, no.\r\n\r\n- We want you to put some soap on yourself now.\r\n\r\n- Hey, we definitely do, but it's just like,\r\n\r\n- Bath and Body Works.\r\n\r\n- Don't be mad 'cause they smell good, go get some cologne. You know? Like,\r\n\r\n- Don't put the cologne on top of the funk, though.\r\n\r\n- I mean, just a little Axe body spray.\r\n\r\n- Ew, ugh. Irish Springs, ugh.\r\n\r\n- But no, it's just like, stay in your lane. Stay in your lane, drive as fast as you can in your lane, don't worry about what's happening on any lane beside you, like-\r\n\r\n- And love your lane.\r\n\r\n- Love your lane, man. Like, just...\r\n\r\n- Fantastic.\r\n\r\n- Nicole, don't be doing us like that.\r\n\r\n- I mean, don't put Bath and Body Works over the funk. We will end with that. We certainly thank Corey for being our guest today, and, as always, we thank you for joining us on the \"What's Career Got To Do With It?\" Podcast. Come visit the Career Center, have a fantastic day.\r\n\r\n- Bye, y'all!\r\n\r\n- Bye. But no.","author_name":"Sandhya Pakala","html":"\u003Ciframe width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/warpwire.duke.edu\/w\/qwYIAA\/\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media; camera; microphone; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E","height":360,"width":640,"thumbnail_height":360,"thumbnail_width":640,"url":"https:\/\/warpwire.duke.edu\/w\/qwYIAA\/","type":"video","title":"S3 E7 Forgotten Superpowers of the Workplace with Corey Pilson","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/warpwire.duke.edu\/img\/10ED13AE-DB77-4E78-BDAA-21F9B14D30E1\/C849BA3A-795B-4FFD-AE09-68ACCC348482\/large\/"}