Origins
We are drawn to superheroes and superhero stories because they capture our imagination. Through them we see a bit ourselves and the potential for greatness. They inspire and spark our imaginations to the myriad of untapped possibilities that lie within. Superheroes have been a part of our narrative since the beginning of human history. While we may think of superheroes in a modern day context, a la Spiderman, Black Panther, Wonder Woman; historical myths are rife with superheroes such as Rama, Gilgamesh, and Beowulf.
Every superhero has an origin story, a story of how they overcame obstacles, tragedies and challenges in their lives and channeled that energy for the greater good. Superheroes are fallible and imperfect, but what sets them apart as champions is how they respond to the setbacks they experience and continue to forge ahead.
While great and impactful individually, when superheroes come together they are able to accomplish even greater things. Think of the Avengers, X-Men, Justice League; and superhero teams from ancient mythology like Jason and the Argonauts and the Seven Brothers of Chinese legend. These superhero coalitions also have an origin story, many of them formed to take on an epic challenge or quest.
The Lima Charlie origin story is similar in many ways. Prior to the pandemic, our team members were already running successful podcasts focused on life lessons, sharing inspiring stories, and providing tools to help others become better leaders. However, during the pandemic, like many of you, we felt the need to connect with others and find different ways to help others feel connected. The desire to reach out and connect is human nature. We are drawn to being a part of something greater, and it is immensely fulfilling to make a positive impact. While many of us on this team did not know each other previously, we recognized others that shared the same foundational vision and values. We recognized how we could be stronger together and knew that with our collective efforts, we could have an even greater impact to help others navigate through these very interesting times.
A couple of things stand out to me in how this team came together.
1. Have the courage to reach out. We didn’t necessarily know each other prior to the pandemic, but we had the courage to message and email each other. It can feel odd to do so, kind of like being the new kid in grade school and asking your classmate on the playground if they want to be friends. Which leads me to the second point:
2. Very rarely will anyone say no when asked to assist. I tell this to newer employees that are looking for a mentor, and express concern that someone will reject their ask. I have never had a potential mentor or coach turn down the request to connect, because to the third point:
3. Others will share in their bounty. In fact, there was a beautiful chain reaction that happened. When one of us reached out to another, we connected them to our network of people, and vice versa. Quickly, our circle grew, as did ideas and collaboration.
We hope that our team, our group of “superheroes” so to speak, will inspire you to find your inner superhero and help you to realize your greatness. We hope that we can help you to discover your origin story and embrace your “superpower”. This is the foundational precept of the Lima Charlie Network, a formerly disparate group of visionaries focused on helping others achieve their potential, that found that the greatest way to make an impact was to come together to share our collective resources and knowledge. We are coming in LOUD and CLEAR.
