Actions speak louder than buzzwords

Every post I see these days are full of trending buzzwords. You know the ones: transformation, wellness, intentional, mindset, optimization, and authentic, just to name a few.

Stop.

I mean it. Just, stop. Buzzwords are the snake oil of our times, and you need to stop buying.

Every day, people are consuming information. They are listening to podcasts, watching video clips, reading self-help blogs, and following “experts” who claim to have all the answers. They feel like they have done something useful. They haven’t. They have simply been entertained.

Consuming information does not lead to transformation. We don’t need principles, frameworks, or a list of habits to make us better. We need actions. Toss the famous quotes and motivational phrases out the window and start doing things. Real self-improvement comes from doing things to make yourself better. Want to be healthier? Eat healthier foods. Want to be a better leader? Do what great leaders do.

Buzzwords are an illusion of progress

I recently heard a teacher say, “We need to focus on growth mindset in our classrooms.” Growth mindset is a spin off of Albert Bandura’s self-efficacy theory. When people have higher levels of self-efficacy, they experience greater resilience, lower stress levels, and higher levels of achievement. Sounds great, right? 

“Focusing” on an idea is a substitute for real work. What can we do to help people achieve higher levels of self efficacy? In the classroom, it might be performance-based assessments where students practice real skills until they can demonstrate them effectively. In the workplace, that might be implementing mastery-based training programs with achievement badges or certificates. When people have the opportunity to experience real mastery, it leads to higher levels of self-efficacy, and ultimately a growth mindset. 

Buzzwords weaken our identity

Identity is our beliefs about who we are as a person. Our sense of self is deeply connected to repeated behaviors and social belonging. A strong personal identity is associated with greater confidence and self-efficacy, higher self-esteem, increased resilience, and success. We all want that.

When people use buzzwords to describe their identity, they dilute their sense of self with transient ideas.“I’m a biohacker.” “I’m a wellness person.” “I’m an authentic leader.” Imagine how an “authentic leader” felt when Forbes called it old wine in a new bottle. Or the “biohacker” who later found out that the 15 powders they threw into their smoothie didn’t change their metabolism at all. Instead of jumping on the buzzword bandwagon, describe the things you feel, believe, and do that make you, you. 

Buzzwords prevent meaningful change

Remember when emotional intelligence flooded the corporate world? Organizations everywhere hired the latest “EI experts” who overcharged for a seminar describing emotional intelligence in the workplace. People took multiple choice tests to see how emotionally intelligent they were, then listened to some hack read bullet points from a slideshow. CEOs cheered them on. Nothing changed.

Remember when the word, agile, became attached to everything? CEOs added the label to every department. Agile human resources, agile finance, agile learning. They even changed job titles. Agile accountant, agile operations supervisor. Changing a job title does not change the job and it certainly does not change the person doing the job.

Real changes require us to do something differently. So, drop the buzzwords and start taking real action. We cannot be better unless we do better.