My Top 10 Useless Business Clichés

By Rob Wright, Chief Editor, Life Science Leader
Follow Me On Twitter @RfwrightLSL

By Rob Wright

January 28th is a significant date, and not because in 1922 the American Football Association renamed itself the National Football League (NFL). No, it is something much more significant than the NFL, though it does involve the NFL. The 28th of January 2013 is known as Media Day — and signifies the start of the buildup to what should be a holiday in the U.S. – The Super Bowl. Many have described media day as a circus. But really, it is the best time for these professional football players and coaches to pull out their list of tried and true clichés and incorporate them into their responses to media questions. Some of my favorites have to be, “We have to take care of the football,” or “We have to play a full 60 minutes.” As I pondered the absurdity of these types of responses, and the total lack of actionable information clichés and platitudes provide the reader, I realized how many people in business are guilty of throwing clichés around, too. Here is a list of my top ten business clichés that I have come across while attending life science industry meetings, and even while conducting interviews. They really say nothing about whatever it is you are talking about. However, your use of these may be saying something about you to those who are asking the questions or reading your responses (should a writer opt to include them).

1. We are looking for disruptive innovations. This is the new way of saying we think “outside of the box.” If at your company you need to utter these words, then perhaps your company is in the wrong box to begin with.
2. At the end of the day. Seriously? End of the day, beginning of the day, middle of the day, mid-morning of the day, late-midafternoon …you get the idea. The point you are trying to make is important, and you just trivialized it by choosing this cliché.
3. We have to tear down the silos. If that is the case, then why did you build them, or allow them to be built, in the first place. Many companies create “skunkworks” and creative teams in an effort to be more innovative. Isn’t this really just another silo?
4. There is not an App for that. I have heard people use this in a variety of situations, such as, “There is not an “App” for creating a disruptively innovation culture. It takes hard work….” What they really should be saying is, “We haven’t found an “App” for that yet, ”  because odds are, if whatever it is they are doing is important, then someone is undoubtedly trying to create an “App” for it.
5. Let’s take the 30,000-foot view. I have been in an airplane with this point of view. Sometimes it doesn’t really tell you a whole lot. Perhaps you need to take a much closer view to understand a problem. 
6. We had to do our due diligence. Whenever I hear this response, I start asking, “How?” If I am not paying attention, I can be sucked into going down the path of, “Well we started by building a team of top talent, surrounding ourselves with good people, making sure it was a fit for our culture….” Save the clichés for other publications, and tell us how you really got it done.
7. Low-hanging fruit. This saying is used typically when referring to sales, and code for, “Let’s get all the stupid customers to buy our widget first.”
8. Drink the Kool-Aid. I have been known to say that someone is a real Kool-Aid drinker, and sometimes it fits. If you are at a company where a majority of people are using this expression, you have serious issues – see Kodak.
9. It is what it is. I will admit that this happens to be the one I despise the most. It indicates apathy to being able to change something, or anything. I have sat in meetings at former pharma companies and heard this term dropped. What they could have said was, “Just be happy you have a job” instead. It would have been a little more direct and less insulting. I have a neighbor who has a shirt that has this saying printed on the front. I suggested he get printing on the back that says, “It was what it was.” That is what I would like to see happen to this saying – for it to become past tense in business vernacular.

Unfortunately, I can’t claim that I haven’t incorporated any of these clichés into my language. After reading Eric Jackson’s list of 89 business clichés, which will get any MBA promoted, you can bet I will be much more cognizant of when I do. In fact, I plan to use a whiteboard near my desk to capture really good ones when I hear them. You know what they say, “Screw up, move up.” Have some of your own despised clichés? Be sure to leave a comment.