Michael:
Welcome back to “Irresistible Communication”.
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Two minutes, one insight
on how to find better
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words
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.
Speaker: You're in the exec meeting.
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You finally have the floor and you're
sharing a story you've chosen carefully,
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something that proves a point,
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that shows what's really going on.
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But halfway through,
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a colleague jumps in: “Oh,
that reminds me of when we…”
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And suddenly it's their
story, their airtime.
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And your point?
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Vanishes into thin air.
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This is so frustrating, isn't it?
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I mean, why do they always
have to hijack the story just
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to make themselves look smart?
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Honestly, it stings.
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And it can feel like they're
trying to undercut you.
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But are they?
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Because here's what
might really be going on.
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In leadership teams, airtime is currency.
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It signals relevance,
influence, and status.
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So when someone hijacks your story,
it's not necessarily to undercut you.
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Often, it's more to prove they belong.
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It's insecurity wrapped in
performance, and if we're
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honest, it's not even unusual.
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Every one of us has done it at some point.
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You hear a story,
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it triggers one of your own,
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and you can't resist.
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You jump in to contribute, to connect, to
show you've got something valuable too.
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Seen through that lens,
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the hijack is less about
malice and more about need.
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The need to be heard
and the need to be seen.
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So what do you do?
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Well, you don't win this by
fighting for airtime harder.
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You win it by using your airtime
to turn the spotlight around.
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Instead of keeping it on yourself,
you point it forward onto the
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team, onto the path ahead.
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You make them feel seen and
nurture a sense of belonging.
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'cause here's the thing, as long
as airtime feels like it's about
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individuals, people will fight for it.
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But when you turn it towards
the group, the fight disappears.
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Because when people feel the spotlight
includes them, they stop grabbing for it.
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Keep lighting the path.
