The Most Dangerous Phrase in Business

It is not what you are thinking. The phrase doesn’t contain a taboo four letter word or words that are banned in kindergarten classrooms. It might be devoid of these things, but it’s no less dangerous. It’s a thought that can halt progress in its tracks, derail momentum on a project, and wreak havoc on organizations.

“That is how we have always done it.”

That’s it. That is the string of words that can bring your company to its knees when employees start whispering it to each other. It’s a simple phrase – just 8 little words, but we can’t seem to get rid of it.

As humans, we are big fans of routine, so it’s natural for us to defer to the phrase “That is how we have always done it.” It’s comfortable and easy. But what good ever came from comfortable and easy? If true change and growth are what you are after, you need to banish these words from your vocabulary. You have to push outside of your boundaries, beyond your comfort zones.

Think about your project in a new way, approach it from a different angle to get improved results. Don’t settle for the way you did it in the past, strive for doing it new and differently.

To make an impact, something we do is put a serious focus on continued education – subscribing to new podcasts, attending conferences in our fields of work to see what others are doing, asking questions to others in similar job roles, and my personal favorite, reading as many books as I can about the current trends in business.

“That is how we have always done it,” is a dangerous phrase, don’t get trapped in that thought!

Until next time…we are Advoco, make every minute count.

About Mary: Mary Devine is our Director of Marketing and Events and the Queen of Connect. Affectionately referred to as “Make it Happen Mary,” she's been around since the beginning of Connect—making things happen! Whether it's planning exciting surprises for Connect attendees or making sure our speakers stay on track (most of the time!) we're so happy to have Mary as our Connect guru. If you have a question for Mary, please send her an email.