Early in life, we are told that fighting fire with fire will only make matters worse. But the fire of gratitude, diplomacy and goodness will squelch the fire of crudeness and rudeness, every time. Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift proved this useful lesson when she eloquently delivered her acceptance speech at the 2016 Grammy Awards.
Photo Courtesy www.eonline.com
While the memory of Kanye West’s interruption of Ms. Swift’s acceptance speech in 2009 at the Video Music Awards still burned, he recently added fuel to his fire by releasing a song that indecently referenced his role in her success.
Despite the public’s anticipation over how Ms. Swift would react on stage to Mr. West’s inappropriate remarks, she handled it with class and confidence. By replacing the role of victim with role model, she took her power back and delivered a message to her audience of young women and girls.
“As the first woman to win Album of the Year at the Grammys twice, I want to say to all the young women out there: There are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame,” Swift said while she accepted the award for her album “1989”. “But if you just focus on the work and you don’t let those people sidetrack you, someday when you get where you’re going, you’ll look around and you will know that it was you and the people who love you who put you there. And that will be the greatest feeling in the world. Thank you for this moment.”
Taylor Swift may be best known as a famous pop star, but she is also a savvy business woman. She creatively called on the loyalty of her fan base while garnering respect from a much larger audience.
Inc Magazine noted that she knows exactly how to protect her brand and her image. The lessons they took from Ms. Swift included:
- Change the conversation
- Keep the message about your brand or goals
- Bring focus to a higher cause
In this case, Ms. Swift’s fire was classy, clever and confident.