Just over 18 months ago, I had the opportunity to apply for a position as executive assistant in a Lyon-based startup. It was both a personal realization and a major professional opportunity. During the recruitment process with this company, I had the privilege of working on a number of points: real introspection to understand whether the company could be a good fit for me, and for them, to find out whether I could become their next employee. One of the exercises I was asked to complete was “If I had a superpower”.
In 1 page, I had to answer this big question. It was a rich exercise, which allowed me to reconnect with writing and above all to focus on a point that was both philosophical and human. Today, I’ve chosen to (re)share with you this page that made me think and, above all, move forward. Between a return to high school and the exercises that are essays, and a confrontation with the evolution of my career, I invite you to discover this work:
If I had a superpower…
If I had a superpower, I’d like it to be that of uniting human beings around virtuous values, with the aim of creating harmony between Man and Nature.
It’s true that teleportation or the gift of ubiquity can be two useful and profitable superpowers right now. But it’s precisely by thinking about these superpowers that we can imagine going much further in our thinking and applying these wishes to mankind.
Why set out with such a crazy power? Because human values such as altruism, love and freedom are often flouted in today’s world. Nature is forgotten in the race for growth, faster, higher, human beings become tools, machines, and it’s all too common to speak of modern-day slavery.
As human beings, our intelligence endows us with unrivalled abilities to create synergies between people, in order to carry out large-scale joint projects. This power would enable us to put nature back at the heart of everyday life, while enhancing the presence of human beings in the world.
Today, human beings cohabit but do not share, common interests are driven by personal interests and individual profit is valued to the detriment of everyone’s culture, but also of nature.
Thanks to this power, people would be able to work together in tolerance. Each culture would have its own existence, and it would be possible to draw on the individuality of each being to develop the common good. As a human being, I think there’s nothing more incredible than discovering new languages, other civilizations and history. My dream is for the world to turn towards highlighting these originalities rather than standardizing them.
When we talk about respecting Nature, we often talk about stopping innovation or limiting the scope of what is possible. My power would, on the contrary, enable us to put innovation back into perspective, but above all to see it as a driving force for Nature.
Innovation drives our evolution, and human beings cannot afford to ignore it. Peter Drucker, American marketing theorist and author of Avenir du Management et Management de l’Avenir, says: “Systematic innovation requires the willingness to see change as opportunity“. Today, we are at the heart of a pivot that defies comprehension: it is vital to reconsider our innovation and development.
Nature must be at the heart of our innovation and change. It is a systemic change that is necessary for the development of human beings, but above all for every species living on our planet.
I’d go even further: I’d like my power to position Nature as the sole vector of innovation. It would no longer be possible to innovate without Nature being the atom of creation.
If I had any power, I’d like to be able to unite people around human values and innovate with Nature at my heart.
And today, if I had a superpower?
I don’t think I’ll change anything in this text today. This job still suits me, and the values I expressed are still the values I hold dear. I want to embody this to the full in my life and in my job as an executive assistant. I remember that I had spent hours working on it, even though it had come out of my head in just a few strokes of the pen. It took me so long to have it proofread, and yet it was so obvious to me.
I hope this text touches you as much as it inspires me every day.
