(It Is What It Is is an annoying business term and is just one of the 212 Most Annoying Business Phrases Managers Effuse, Confuse, and Overuse detailed in the hilarious must-have guide for every workplace: The 30,000-Pound Gorilla in the Room. Available right now on Amazon.)

It Is What It Is

What incremental improvement is to vague, it is what it is is to clarity.

So clear, in fact, it borders on imbecilic.

There’s never been a truer or more redundant statement ever made in business. Yes, “it” is exactly what “it” is. It is, or it wouldn’t be it, would it?

Often such a defeatist notion, this one screams of equal parts passive-aggressive, self-righteous, and just plain weak. To those who claim it is what it is is somehow an esoteric phrase that attempts to describe the indescribable: it’s not.

It is what it is.

When used in business, it is what it is is more of an “I give up” or an “I can’t do anything about it” resigned response to a negative outcome.

The speaker of this phrase is telling you they are helpless; things are not in their control. Given this, it’s beyond time to strike this annoyance from your vocabulary.

Replacement phrases: No replacement phrase needed because… well… it is what it is.

See also: Easier Said Than Done; Are Two Different Things; There’s a First Time for Everything

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The 30,000-Pound Gorilla in the Room is available on Amazon