A few weeks ago, the Momentum CEO Network met to discuss: Words You Hate to Hear in Business. 

Before that meeting began, I spent a few minutes thinking about the words I don’t like to hear in regard to my business. 

And a phrase that immediately came to mind is: We’ve always done it that way…

Now, I’m not against tradition. 

Tradition definitely has its place.

In fact, some traditions are so rooted in a business that they should just never be messed with.

Coca Cola found that out the hard way when they introduced “New Coke.”

But I’m a big believer in the power of change. 

I want to improve things. 

I want to make things better. 

I want to embrace things that are going to move me and my business forward.

As I reflected on why I don’t like this phrase, it became abundantly clear. This phrase is used to shut down discussion, and with it – it shuts down proactive thinking. It’s a sign that the person who said it is more concerned with maintaining the status quo than they are with finding new and better ways to do things. 

Then I took it a step further and thought about what I do when I hear this phrase. I know that I believe it’s important to push back and ask why things have always been done in a certain way. In many cases, there’s no good reason. And, while change may be uncomfortable, it’s often necessary for a business to stay competitive.

During our Momentum CEO Networking meeting, it was interesting to have the attendees share the phrases that they didn’t like hearing.

But what was more powerful was what they did AFTER they heard them.

For most, these phrases became powerful catalysts for action.

And that’s exciting.

Here are a few quotes from that meeting:

“For people that aren’t sales-oriented in their businesses, it’s more of a challenge. Sometimes [they] take it more to heart when something they’re creating passionately from the heart is thrown away…It doesn’t mean it’s the wrong product, it’s just the wrong audience.” – Karin Lund

“What I’m doing now is my third career. When I was leaving my second career and sharing with my father what I was going to do, his comment was,’Will you be able to make a living doing that?’ I actually went the other way; I embraced it. I’m gonna prove you wrong.” – Janice Russell

“We’re trying to raise money to build software, help therapists. I’ve been talking with investors, and the feedback from them is ‘That makes no sense. Why would I invest in this?’ Then I realized, I’m talking to the wrong investors. It’s so important to find people who understand what you’re doing. Talking to people who have never known financial distress or have never been to a therapy session, [in my case,] is going to be a losing battle.” – Alex De Marco

“My business used to be called Beyond Calm. I had one of my best business mentors say ‘I have no use for that.’ I was crushed. Rather than thinking of who my target audience is, I internalized [those words.]” – Melanie Weller

Have you ever had someone say something about you and your business that you just didn’t want to hear? And more importantly, what did you do about it? Were you able to reflect on it and use it to move forward?