7 Idioms That Need To Just Go Away

My mind was wandering this morning, and the phrase, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,” inexplicably entered my thoughts. As I ruminated on those words, I thought, “What a weird, out-of-date saying…,” which, of course, led me to start thinking about other common phrases and sayings that have outlived their usefulness, assuming they were ever useful in the first place. Below is my list of 7 idioms that I think should simply be eradicated from our vocabularies, starting with the inspiration for this post.

1. “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”

I feel truly blessed, and I try to focus on how grateful I am for the people and things that I have in my life. This saying, however, has nothing to do with gratitude. It is, instead, an admonition not to risk the existing state of affairs in an attempt to earn more, achieve more, do more. In a word, settle. If we all followed this “sage” advice, we would never improve, never innovate, and never take the chances that are vital to reaching our goals and creating a better world.

2. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Anyone who has ever tried to improve a process, teach a new methodology, or in any way effect change has heard this one. It’s typically a glib attempt to protect the status quo; the mantra of the change averse. I am a firm believer that the pursuit of perfection through continuous improvement is key in business, and life, in general. Therefore, my response to this gem is, “Everything is a little broken.”

3. “Happy wife, happy life.”

Yeah, this one makes me cringe every time I hear it. Here’s what it means (in case you’ve never really thought about it): If you mollify your wife by agreeing with her and giving her the things she wants, you won’t be burdened by things like nagging, pouting, and rolling pins to the head. (Those are the things we do, right?) How insulting to women! Said in casual conversation, this phrase suggests that women, wives in particular, can be lulled into happiness by shiny baubles, and that men are happier when we’re placated and quiet. In a business setting (imagine saying this at a conference table), you are communicating to everyone in the room that the women should be tolerated, but not actually listened to and taken seriously. After all, if you feel this way about the woman with whom you chose to spend the rest of your life, what does it say about the rest of us?

4. “The customer is always right.”

In our information-driven economy, the customer is typically looking for an expert. The whole point of an expert is that they know things that you don’t. I would be a terrible consultant and coach, if I approached all of my clients with the idea that they were always right. My purpose is to help them change and improve, and to do that effectively, I have to tell them when they’re right, and when they’re wrong.

5. “Too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth.”

I’ll admit that this one is still pretty well accepted, and I’m probably not going to get rid of it. However, as a Lean consultant/enthusiast/evangelist, I don’t think you can have too many cooks in the kitchen, as long as they are the right cooks. To make real improvements, you need to enlist the expertise and experience of the people that actually do the work. In construction, this means every trade on the project. That can add up to a lot of cooks, but also a lot of collaboration, a lot of new ideas, and significantly more reliable, flexible, and achievable plans. Everyone brings with them their own ingredient for the soup. Who wants to just eat broth, anyway?

6. “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.”

The sentence above is absolutely true… as it relates to chains, but did anyone ever actually believe this about teams of people? If so, why do we ever form teams in the first place? Shouldn’t we just let the “strongest link” do everything? The fact is, if you have a weakest link at all, it’s a sign that the assigned roles and responsibilities don’t adequately fit the strengths and weaknesses of the team members. When we truly collaborate, and respect the contributions of others, the proverbial chain gets stronger, not weaker.

7. “Good things come to those who wait.”

What, exactly, are we waiting for? How long should we wait? That guy just got good things, and he didn’t wait. What’s up with that? This proverb is only a good response to, “Are we there, yet?” Aside from that, I say go out and get what you want. Do you want a promotion or a raise? Make your case, and ask for it. Do you want to present a new idea to your boss? You don’t need permission or an engraved invitation to make a PowerPoint and an appointment. Do you want to change careers? Find your passion, chart your path, and set out. Good things don’t come to those who wait. They come to those who act.

What would you add to this list? There are so many sayings, idioms, adages, and proverbs in the English language that I’m pretty sure we would all survive if a few of them were retired.

PS – I’m on Twitter, and I am just tickled every time I get a new follower! Please follow me @G3C_Consulting. 

Julie Glassmeyer is the Owner of Glassmeyer Construction Consulting & Coaching, LLC (G3C). Julie applies her 23 years of commercial construction management and planning experience to support individuals and organizations in their efforts to reach the next level of performance excellence. G3C, LLC, specializes in Lean Construction, Construction Safety, Leadership Training & Mentoring, Owner Guidance & Mentoring, and Professional Writing. For more information, please visit www.glassmeyerconsulting.com, or contact Julie at [email protected] or 513.635.2730. Follow her on Twitter - @G3C_Consulting!