Episode #6
Off Track: What’s The Backstory?
Welcome back to Off Track, the space where I speak unscripted, unfiltered, and share an insight or two. There are no guests, no scripts.This week, I reflect on my conversation with Ahlam Bolooki, CEO of the Emirates Literature Foundation, and one simple sentence that stayed with me: “Everyone makes sense once you know the backstory.”What’s Their Backstory?We’re incredibly quick to judge people. Ignorance is easier than curiosity. It’s easier to label someone than to take the time to understand what might actually be going on beneath the surface.We fill in the gaps using our own experiences, patterns and unconscious biases. We think we know someone’s “type” because they remind us of someone we’ve met before. But their story could be completely different.And context changes communication. From something as small as a bad journey to a meeting, to pressure at work, challenges at home or experiences stretching all the way back to childhood, the more we understand someone’s backstory, the better we understand the human in front of us.So who have you judged recently without really knowing their backstory?Honest, reflective and straight off my chest and off the cuff.Welcome to Off Track.
