Be Bold. Get Inspired. Take Action.
What is your superpower?
Receive free IIBA updates and exclusive content!
Recently, I was catching up on my favorite podcast, No Stupid Questions.1 (Excellent podcast for a BA. Right?) In this particular episode, the hosts were discussing the age-old question – if you could have a superpower, which would it be: the ability to be invisible or the ability to fly? In addition to bantering about their own preferences, they sprinkled in the nefarious motives that some might have for one over another; they highlighted academic studies in which international leaders were asked for their preferences; and they eventually discussed “other superpowers”. In fact, one host (Angela Duckworth) said that her preferred superpower was the ability to “teach anyone anything”. This declaration in the closing minutes hit me like a lightning bolt. I had heard almost the same comment from Michelle Green a few weeks prior.
Michelle Green is the Past President of the IIBA St. Louis Chapter, the co-lead for the Global Chapter Council’s Mentoring Committee, and the 2020 Volunteer of the Year for the Americas Central Region. In our exchange, Michelle started by sharing her superpower - “creating educational materials”. It sounds like she and Angela share a similar passion.
Like many of our other volunteers, Michelle came to IIBA seeking information about certification. She attended her first meeting and quickly turned that explorative quest into a passion-fueled career evolution. Michelle took on Chapter board positions, mentored certification study groups, developed foundational materials for maturing Chapters, created a Mentoring-in-a-Box program to pair Chapter mentors and mentees, and much more. You can read about her journey in her own words in the BA Times.
Most importantly, Michelle leveraged her personal growth through IIBA into a positive career change for herself. She now has her dream job; she is a BA Process Manager at her organization, where she coaches, mentors, counsels, and sets standards for over 90 BAs, PMs, and their respective managers. She credits joining IIBA as the best career move she could have made. IIBA has…
- Reinforced leadership skills she did not even know she had.
- Enabled her to know more about her company through running her “own company” (i.e., IIBA St, Louis Chapter).
- Encouraged her to promote herself and her capabilities by sharing what she has been learning with her management team.
So…what is your superpower? And, if you look at the root of that power, how did you acquire and sharpen it? Who/what do you credit for help in your journey? Use #basuperpower, and let’s start a conversation on LinkedIn.
Reminder: If you haven’t already, be sure to nominate those individuals (like Michelle) who have inspired you personally or professionally for IIBA’s annual Volunteer of the Year award. Nominations close on August 31st!
1 No Stupid Questions – Episode 57
Be Bold features members, volunteers, and Chapters who are taking bold action. If you have a story to tell or a recommendation for future inclusion, please feel free to reach out to communications.director@gcc.iiba.org.
About the Author:
Koryn Anderson enjoyed a couple of careers before finding her ultimate one. She has been a business analyst for more than 10 years and is currently a Lead Business Analyst at Baird. She is passionate about the BA discipline, has her CBAP® certification, is Past President of the Southeast Wisconsin Chapter, and is the current Communications Director for the Global Chapter Council.