How to Become the Batman of Your Team

“I’m not really a people-person. But when you need help—AND YOU WILL—call me.”

Says Batman to his Justice League colleagues in the last episode of Justice League Secret Origins when the superheroes eventually decide to form the Justice League.

That dialogue somehow stuck with me and still reverberates in my ears whenever I interact or work with my team. Some credit also goes to the fact that I’m a DC fan—yes, even after their shitty DCEU journey—and a Batman fan as well. DC has its own gang of superheroes who fight against supervillains and injustice named the Justice League.

Like every other corporate team, consider the Justice League as a team of experienced professionals (Superman, Wonder Woman, etc.) and trainees (Flash, Captain Marvel aka Shazam, etc.). While Superman is the mightiest superhero in the entire DC universe and so in the Justice League, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, etc. come with their own strengths. Superman is apparently also the leader of this gang.

But the brain, the facilitator, and most importantly the rigid supporter of the group is Batman or in his true identity, Bruce Wayne, the owner of the Wayne Enterprises, which basically runs the whole of Gotham city.

Batman has its own identity in the Justice League and DC Universe that makes him one of the most popular superheroes in the world.

But what are those qualities that make Batman stand different from the lot and how you can become the Batman of your team? Let’s shed some light on that.

He doesn’t seek popularity

The first and most important rule to becoming famous is not to seek popularity. As I mentioned in the first line itself, Batman never really cares for his own popularity. He is a dark knight. He likes to be alone in the dark and focus on his work.

That’s what successful people do. They work and don’t really care about the results. They work with 100% focus and make themselves super productive. Do your own work and try to make it as error-free as you can. Accurate and efficient work gets all appreciation and builds your character, teaches Batman.

He’s never afraid to go against his team

Many times we face situations where our own belief differs from the instructions we have received to complete a task. An average team member would just go ahead with the instructions. But not Batman. He’s never afraid to place his views.

There’s an interesting episode in which Batman tells his colleagues that he has already prepared a contingency plan to rein-in all the superheroes in the Justice League and he also does include himself in that.

When the other superheroes do not like the idea and tell him that none of the superheroes would go against the team, he replies that only a fool can believe that. That clearly says that Batman has is own point of view and he’s never afraid to place it.

There’s nothing wrong with putting forward your view in front of the leadership. They might not accept it but you are not doing it for that. You are doing it for yourself. To put a different way in front of the world to approach something. That’s what matters.

But, he’s always there for his team

Batman basically is a support system of the Justice League. He saves other superheroes from villains whenever the need arises. Batman appears from the dark and just rescues the whole team whenever enemies catch them.

That’s what an ideal team member should do. It’s not important what relation you have with each team member. You must be helpful to everyone. That’s a step towards becoming the Batman of your team.

He’s smart and patient

Batman makes his every move after a lot of thought. He’s a Ninja. He knows how to be energetic in silence. Batman’s true ability lies in his brain. He creates exceptional gadgets with that and uses it with perfection when he fights with the enemies. He knows how to make smart moves and get the job done quickly.

That’s what your company or your boss wants you to do. Be a smart worker. Gone are the days when you needed to be a hard worker. You don’t really have to do that now. It’s important that you find your own ways to complete a task as early as possible and with utmost accuracy and efficiency. [This also reminds me of Tom Riddle or Voldemort in the Harry Potter franchise. In the Half-Blood Prince, Harry gets the book of a former student Tom Riddle. In the book, Harry finds Tom’s own ways to make a poisonous potion. He follows that and wins the prize, where others, who follow the traditional method, struggle.]

He is a man of principles

Batman has vowed not to kill his enemies. He hasn’t killed a single person until now in any of his enemy interactions. Sometimes, he gets into trouble due to these principles. But he never gives up on following them. That’s what makes him a character that everyone likes. He knows how to stand up for himself and how to emerge from failures with his smartness.

Principles are the backbone of Batman’s character. That’s why we loved Nolan’s The Dark Knight. It was a fight between Batman, a man with principles, and Joker, who’s an idiotic supervillain without any principle. Joker gets impressed with Batman’s principles and makes it an objective of his life to make Batman break his rules. Christoper Nolan portrayed it beautifully on the big screen.

Batman teaches to follow principles. Principles make us control ourselves and give better results. Make rules for yourself and try to stick to those as long as you can.

In a nutshell, Batman is not just a comic character. Had that been the case, he would have never won so many hearts.

Consider your team as a gang of superheroes, who are ready to defeat the enemy of deadlines and start working as Batman does. After all, Batman is the only superhero, who is not a demi-god and not an alien with superpowers. He is a human-like you and me. He learns from his mistakes and not afraid of experiments. He gives chances to others to come forward and prove themselves.

Now that’s how an ideal team member should be.