A great deal of being successful in business is being practical, prepared and dedicated. Seems like common sense.

You could almost say ‘never put off till tomorrow what you can do today’.

But things aren’t ever that simple.

While old sayings knock around forever, quite often all they do is put a situation into a little box so it stops nagging on our limited attention. In business, however, those nags – technically known as ‘thought-terminating clichés’ – often desperately need to be heeded.

In my work this week, I’ve seen what happens when an otherwise impressive company becomes blinded by its own clichés. In this case, it’s made senior management myopic, staff stifled, and the owners so consumed by their own narrative they’re unwilling to take responsibility for their failures. It’s not pretty, and the effects are wide-ranging.

So, how can you tell if you’re thinking clearly or caught up in your own clichés? For one, consider the terrifying thing about common clichés: pretty much all of them have an equally popular contradictory saying. Chances are the ones you favour in your business do, too.

<em>Look before you leap … He who hesitates is lost.</em>

<em>If at first you don't succeed, try, try again … Don't beat your head against a brick wall.</em>

<em>Absence makes the heart grow fonder … Out of sight, out of mind.</em>

<em>Haste makes waste … Time waits for no man.</em>

<em>You're never too old to learn … You can't teach an old dog new tricks.</em>

<em>Do unto others as you would have others do unto you … Nice guys finish last.</em>

Real common sense comes from combining logic, understanding and intuition. Most importantly, in a business sense, it comes from owners and managers operating with honesty, integrity and a good dose of self-awareness.

So while the problem you’re tackling in your business might well be better solved by putting your brain in gear, nose to the grindstone, shoulder to the wheel and keeping your eyes peeled – chances are that what you really need is the guts to be brutally honest with yourself.

It begs the question: What are the ways you use common language to brush over problems in your business? Are there common catchphrases or clichés buffering you from a dose of reality?

Here are some examples:

<em>That’s not the way we do things.</em>

<em> It’s not my fault.</em>

<em>That customer’s an idiot.</em>

<em>It’s my way or the highway.</em>

<em>The buck stops with me.</em>

If you stopped to consider the situation and the automatic response within your business, I wonder if there’d be a nugget of genuine insight there that’s being hidden by a cliché? An opportunity to improve, rather than deny?

It’s worth considering. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

<em>This article first appeared in CCIQ’s Inform. We create, research and write this monthly e-zine, which goes out to businesses across Queensland.</em>