Dangerous Words in the Work Environment
In the work environment, there are certain words said that may make your Spidey-sense go off. In fact, if those words are a reflection of the workplace culture, they would represent slow and silent killers for the company. Leaders of the company should be tracking and addressing the issues behind those dangerous words. Here are some dangerous words for you to reflect on (with tech-related examples):
Status Quo: we all like to think that our product is very good and can sustain the competitive advantages over others for a long while. There are competitors, some lurking, who can easily overtake in a short amount of time. So status quo in terms of a previous winning formula may not cut it, and there must remain the urgency in terms of enhancing the product’s advantages and capabilities. Relevant example: Nokia kept its ways of doing things (status quo), and remember how quickly and decisively the iPhone and Android-phones killed off the previously dominant Nokia phones? Hitting closer to home is the Blackberry example.
It’s Not My Problem: we often compartmentalize our areas of responsibilities, due to either too much work to handle, or out of laziness, or ignorance. However, we need to see the bigger picture as to what’s important, and what the end-goal might be. Then the attitude of “do whatever it takes” comes into play, to achieve the end-goal – then it most certainly is my problem! Relevant example: there will be cases in which customers are stuck on something that is outside your product’s domain (e.g. lack of content for your software), but unless someone helps the customer resolve the issue, he won’t even get to your product to use or buy it.
I Will Try: I am a firm believer of “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” There are some who use “I will try” to either brush off someone else, or try to resolve problems without a clue, plan, deadline, or the intention to really attempt the work. That can be very dangerous, especially when the receiver is relying on a definitive outcome. Relevant example: I asked someone to host a presentation and he said yes, but indicated he would try to get there on time. He is the host; it is not an option to be late if he agrees to be the host, so he better be there on time, or else not accept the role as the host at all.
If You Build It, They Will Come: no, they won’t! There is so much more to just a good idea for product success. It’s not just the good idea, and it’s not just excellent technical expertise to build the product. It also requires the understanding of what the client really wants, what the client is willing to pay, how the client is able to deploy the product, etc. – all the concepts laid out on a business model canvas. And with some luck (e.g. matching market conditions and timing), they may come. Relevant example: Apple was not the first to introduce the iPad tablet. Microsoft built it as early as 2002, but timing for adoption was off, esthetics was off, interface remained unchanged, etc., leading to most of us not even remembering that a Microsoft tablet existed back in 2002.
Been There, Done That, and Failed: when one becomes experienced at something, there may be the bad attitude of responding to related ideas of “been there, done that, and failed.” At most, the experience should be used as brotherly advice, and not enforced on the person who suggested the related idea. It presents a morale problem, as well as being closed to ideas that did not work previously, but may work now (due to some changing conditions). Relevant example: I am sure someone at Apple referred to the 2002 Microsoft tablet, and said “been there, done that, and failed”, when the idea of the iPad first came up.
I Don’t Know: in many cases, the “I don’t know” response is more than appropriate. However, when you should know the answer, or it is important that you know the answer, the “I don’t know” response is a sign of laziness, lack of caring or lack of professionalism. Relevant example: I went into a store, and asked the salesperson whether they sale a certain product, and she responded with “I don’t know”. I found myself waiting for a continuation to that response (assuming she would find out), but eventually realized that there is no continuation. I left the store in disgust.
I am very interested in what you might consider as dangerous words in the work environment.