What are the communication challenges that you face with your team? How might you relate to the team members of the Avengers and their issues?
The Marvel Avengers are a powerful team of diverse individuals who work together to fight earth-shattering and even universe-threatening challenges.
How does this strange group of superheroes work together and defeat these challenges? They communicate as much as they might dislike the exchange or even each other at times. They communicate because that’s the only way they are can fight together as a team.
How might the diversity of your team guide how you communicate with them as a team and as individuals? Perhaps the leadership role is determined by job title. What if that isn’t the best choice for this particular challenge? Are you willing to select the best team leader for this challenge?
Hulk might be considered the strongest. Does that make him the natural leader? No, because he’s not the best communicator, and thus not a good leader. He’s short on empathy. Strength doesn’t equate to leadership.
Yet his message is always clear and simple. “Hulk smash”. That’s both a verbal and physical message. He smashes the enemies, and the team can count on him to consistently smash. Hulk has one clear message, and he delivers it well.
Captain America might be the best team communicator on the team. That might be because he has no superpowers, simply enhanced physical prowess and thoughtful team building insights. He is the best listener and observer of the team. He also recognizes their individual strengths and how best to deploy them. That’s what a good leader does. Leverage the strengths and weaknesses of your team and communicate clearly on their roles.
Thor is the Norse god of thunder, yet he is chumming around with an earthly group of superheroes. Even though he had godlike powers and is the apparent heir to the throne of Asgard, he’s willing to be a team member of the Avengers. That suggests a humbleness we don’t associate with gods. And he’s willing to listen to the other members and accept direction from the current team leader.
Thor might be as strong as Hulk and a lot less temperamental plus he’s a god. There could be massive ego there, yet he’s a team player. Do you have anyone like that on your team?
Ironman, aka Tony Stark, is a genius in robotics and weapons plus a billionaire. Why would he waste his time with this group of lesser intelligence? Because he believes they are stronger when they work together, despite his ego. Tony exudes an oversized ego and maybe he has a right to that. Yet, he realizes that the team must work together to accomplish their goals.
The original Ant Man, Hank Pym can shrink to microscopic size and grow to 50 feet tall. He was one of the founding members. He is another scientific genius. His powers have fluctuated over time. He has reinvented himself in different roles, including, Ant Man, Giant Man, Goliah, Yellow Jacket. He has experienced emotional shifts and challenges while still a valuable member.
The Wasp, Janet Van Dyne, was another of the founding members who hasn’t received enough credit in the Marvel movies. She was the first female member. Curious that her superpower was as a tiny insect-sized person. Why was the first female member a tiny person? Was that a sexist positioning? There might be sexist bias on your team. Are you aware of that? What can you do to address the real and perceived bias?
The Original Avengers
Ironman, Antman, Wasp, Hulk, Thor
Hawkeye was an early addition to the Avengers team. He’s the guy with a bow and arrow. How out of place does that seem in a world of guns, lasers and superpowers? Do the other team members ridicule him for his lack of strength or superpowers? No. That’s not how team members communicate and build team trust. In addition, he started out as a circus performer and criminal. Wow! How would you trust this guy on your team?
The Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff, also lacks superpowers, yet she displays no fear when encountering the threats. She even stands up to Hulk and interrogates Loki, the Norse god of mischief, Thor’s half-brother.
She has human fighting skills and understands interrogation and influence. She’s a specialist with communication along with the nuances because she was a Soviet spy – KGB. Then she switched sides and joined SHEILD as an operative before joining the Avengers.
Wait a minute, she was a Soviet spy who became a traitor to her country to spy for the other side. How could any team trust this person? She clearly needed to prove herself to her new team.
The Scarlet Witch was a mutant and daughter of Magneto, the leader of the evil mutants. How could you trust her with that heritage? Yet, she was allowed to join the Avengers.
She wielded hex powers. That was a form of magic. She cast spells that challenged probability.
Vision was the first AI, (Artificial Intelligence) addition to the Avengers. In the original story, Vision was created by Hank Pym, Ant Man, as his lab assistant. Later, Ultron, another lab assistant created by Hank Pym gained sentience and took control of its own existence. And Ultron then claimed control of Vision.
Ultron challenged the Avengers for control of the Earth in its mission to eradicate humanity. Fortunately, the Avengers defeated Ultron. Then Vision became a free being and joined the Avengers.
How would you view and communicate with this team of former spies, enemies and egotists? And you think you have a strange and difficult team.
Yes. I’m still a fan of Marve comics and I believe we can find communication lessons from fiction.