Why Repeating Yourself Doesn’t Work

Say it once. Be heard.

Have you ever given guidance… only to find yourself saying the same thing again the next day, the next week, even the next month?

It’s exhausting. It feels like pushing against a wall — the harder you try, the less people seem to respond. And slowly, the doubt creeps in: Am I not clear enough? Do they not care? Or is anyone actually listening?

Here’s the truth: it’s not that people don’t care. It’s that their brain isn’t paying attention anymore.

Neuroscience shows that the human brain is wired for novelty. We release dopamine — the chemical that makes us pay attention and feel motivated — when something feels fresh or surprising. Familiarity, on the other hand, gets filtered out as “background noise.”

So when leaders repeat themselves over and over, the message doesn’t become clearer. It becomes easier to ignore.
Not because your words aren’t important — but because the brain has already “filed them away” as familiar.

That’s why influence isn’t about saying more or saying it louder.
It’s about changing the signal so people feel it’s worth tuning into.
A fresh frame, a new story, a different entry point — that’s what makes the message land the first time.

Over the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing simple, brain-based shifts that help you do just that — so when you speak, people listen.

Until then, here’s a question worth reflecting on:

👉 Where in your leadership are you repeating yourself, and how could you shift the signal instead of turning up the volume?