You Were Trained to Be Invisible | Social Intelligence Briefing

AJ and John explain how the habits that helped you succeed early in your career—working hard, following the rules, proving yourself, and waiting for recognition—can become the same habits that keep you invisible later. They trace how approval seeking shifts from a useful behavior into an identity, and why that pattern can leave high performers out of important conversations and opportunities. The episode covers why simply deciding to communicate differently often fails under pressure, how approval-seeking responses become automatic, and why lasting change requires repeated practice rather than willpower alone. The key is recognizing the pattern early and practicing new responses until they become natural.