I will occasionally ban words - not in a dictatorial way - that I believe have become harmful to behaviors. I admit, once I make a decision about a word, I can get pretty annoying about it.
I have a new banned word - Obvious.
Why has this word been added to my list? For two main reasons. First, things are rarely obvious, or at least as obvious as we think they are. I make think it is obvious that a job candidate has the skills we need, another interviewer might question whether the person has those skills. If it truly is obvious, then we would have to both see it the same way, right?
Second, it prevents us from acting on the necessary behaviors to be successful. Managers think something is obvious, so they don't set the proper expectation. Then they get disappointed when the deliverable is not up to expectations. Managers don't provide feedback because what they would say is obvious, as if positive feedback has to be some kind of secret only they know.
The next time you think something is obvious, stop and ask "is it really obvious to everyone". The answer more often than not is "no".
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