(Paradigm Shift 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.)

Paradigm Shift

Excuse the inappropriate (and oh so annoying) analogy, but paradigm shift is the crack cocaine of annoying phrases. That is, pretty much after one use you’re hooked.

Let paradigm shift come out of your mouth just once, and you’ll find yourself addicted to the soothing and self-satisfying way it rolls off your tongue. You’ll immediately feel more intelligent; savvier, if you will, with a business acumen like no other.

Unfortunately, like all illicit drugs, the high you get from uttering paradigm shift will wear off all too quickly. You’ll need to say it again. And again. And again.

Ultimately, you’ll find yourself chasing that first high – a high that will never be repeated as your body adjusts over time. In a cruel twist, your body conducts its own paradigm shift.

While the term is often an accurate representation of what happened or needs to happen in your business, this doesn’t make its use any less annoying.

Paradigm shift (which basically refers to a fundamental change in approach, understanding, or thinking) has become so overused in business it’s lost its meaning.

To your annoying manager, everything is or requires a paradigm shift. From changing how you prepare for a product launch to moving someone’s lunch hour back thirty minutes; everything in your business now demands a paradigm shift.

Except, unfortunately, your manager’s overuse of annoying jargon.

Replacement phrases: Change

See also: Disruptor; Game Changer

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