Principled Innovation LLC

10 Phrases I Never Want To Hear Again

March 25th, 2006

I returned yesterday from my trip to Austin and, unfortunately, my best-laid plans for blogging were shredded by late nights falling asleep in front of the computer, early mornings trying to jump start my brain and lots of stuff going on in between. But while I didn’t blog, I did do some very useful thinking about possible posts, and I’ve concluded that there are at least ten phrases I NEVER EVER want to hear or read again. These ten phrases aren’t presented below in any special order…they all vex me equally.

• Think outside the box–For crying out loud, forget about the box. Just think.
• The future is now–Are you sure? I had it down for later in my Blackberry.
• Come prepared to work on a five-year plan–No further explanation required.
• We are in a time of change–Wow, we’d better alert the media!
• It’s about people–If you have to say it, then it isn’t.
• It’s about community–Talk about turning an important idea into a buzzword…
• It’s the members’ association–If that’s true, then we’re in real trouble.
• We need to develop a policy–Oh no, now we’re DEFINITELY in trouble!
• We have no money–I bet if you look more closely, you’ll find some.
• We can’t do that–If this is your default position, you can’t lead.

Of course, I reserve the right to revise and add to this list going forward. I’m confident that future phrase-makers will come up with stuff that is just as, if not more, irksome. And I’m sure that some of you will be irked by my list. If so, I am certain you will let me know about it!

Entry Filed under: Principled Innovation Blog, Innovation, Associations, Ten Things