Eliminate “Out of an Abundance of Caution”
Gag me with a spoon. I’m sick of hearing, “Out of an abundance of caution….”
Bad:
An abundance of caution is bad. People buy all the toilet paper out of an abundance of caution. Now you don’t have any.
You wouldn’t get married if you practiced an abundance of caution. The chances are 50/50 you’re going to make it. When was the last time you made a life-impacting decision based on 50/50 odds?
Out of an abundance of caution, people don’t get vaccinated. I’m just saying.
Reasonable:
Reasonable caution is enough.
Anything beyond reasonable caution goes too far. It’s reasonable to avoid large gatherings during a pandemic. That’s not an abundance of caution!
An abundance of caution is gobbledygook.
Stop using the word “caution” altogether. Use “smart,” instead. You’re not being cautious when you wash your hands twenty times a day. Give yourself some credit. That’s smart.
Hooked:
If you’re hooked on saying, “Out of an abundance of caution,” get creative.
Out of an abundance of caution, eat more chocolate. After all, there could be a shortage.
Out of an abundance of caution, my wife is getting out of the house. You figure out who’s running for safety.
Out of an abundance of caution, avoid baths. In the U.S., 4,866 people drowned in bathtubs in 2014. Who knows how high the number is today?
Out of an abundance of caution, I’m binging Schitt$ Creek on Netflix. (I don’t like the way binging looks. It makes me think I’m using the search engine Bing. I Google. You won’t catch me Bing-ing.)
Out of an abundance of caution, NEVER get in a car again. The chances you’ll die are 1:103!
Out of an abundance of caution, I’m stopping this list right here.
Don’t squander the present waiting for the return of the past.
What phrases are you hearing more frequently?
What phrases are you tired of hearing?
I think that is the same as “I will apologize for what I am going to say but”. Then don’t say it! It is always something you should not say and it does not help to say that first. So agree Dan.
Thanks Walt!
Dan timely as always. Here in Chicago we keep telling each other we are: Sheltering in Place. Hopefully, like most crises, this will end, shortly and safely. Brad
Yes, Brad. I don’t want to shelter in place. When I’m told that I can’t go out, it makes me want to go out.
As happens in our own fields, the pat phrases quickly become trite and the cause of eye rolling. Love the humor Dan. Hope the wife comes back soon — armed with an abundance of caution of course!
So glad you enjoyed. She’s back and it’s all good. 🙂
If I hear “unprecedented times” or “unchartered waters” one more time I’m going to shriek! Would like to never have to hear the words COVID-19 again…
Agree! The media’s use of “In these unprecedented times…” is making me crazy.
Thanks Mary Ellen. I’ve been looking up synonyms for unprecedented. I like inconceivable. You can say it with a lisp like on Princes Bride.
I MISS “gag me with a spoon”!!!!
I would like the concept of “over communicating” eliminated. One is either communicating with meaning or they are wasting time. Out of an abundance of caution leadership in my org is hammering the team with calls and status checks and huddles…all great, if meaningful. But my team is telling me the constant meetings (interruptions) are messing with their “flow” of work. Great piece as always!!
Great read, Dan. Abundance of caution simply equals out of fear. There is a lot of fear of the unknown and that leads to abundance of caution. Fear can be a motivator, but it doesn’t last. It is smart we are doing some of the things we are doing to avoid overwhelming the medical system. It is fear that will keep us from doing the thing we need to do to get through this time. Pausing and doing what is smart is what will get us through. Keep up the great work and these great daily newsletters.
“Social distancing.” Wrong thing to be doing at a time like this. More accurately we need “physical” distancing. We can still socialize in many ways while being physically distant.
Well said, Alan; most cogent and realistic response; thx.
We need to get back to the real reasons we hug, kiss, toast drinks, and shake hands … it’s meaning is that I (truly) trust you (and I trust you wouldn’t put me at risk) … the fact that we have made these behaviours virtually automatic is now glaringly a problem.
“I love you, too, man,” but “just shoot me now” if you’re going to do me wrong, and “gag me” if I should dare utter a truth no one wants to hear.
Reasonable caution is enough. This does say it all for me. But you have to have confidence along with being calm and IMHO a positive attitude to bring it all together. As I sit here in my new normal (safe at home in Southern California (LA County 12 miles from DTLA)) working remotely I am adjusting and using reasonable caution in all that I do. Our business is still up and running with our warehouse (in North Palm Springs) in operation since we feed the utilities market (think renewables) in North America. All our customers across various states and provinces are attempting to continue to generate power and build new power generation sites. Both our customers and our suppliers across many areas all are being what I would call “reasonably cautious” in what they do adjusting to regional requirements and responses. There are a whole lot of people in a new normal. I am also emailing with a business partner in China who hears what they say there and then asks me what is going on. Be safe friends be calm, be positive (+) use reasonable caution in all that you do.
You had me engaged in this one until this comment: “Out of an abundance of caution, people don’t get vaccinated. I’m just saying.”
Ouch.
Shouldn’t it read “Out of an abundance of caution, people DO get vaccinated.” :0) But I do appreciate your blogs!
Not if you get to see close up the effects of not being vaccinated.
Thanks Neil. You might enjoy knowing that this post was not intended to go out until tomorrow morning!! I didn’t use an abundance of caution and accidentally posted it!!
In any case, there are some people who are afraid of the negative impact of vaccination so they don’t get them. Some have said that vaccinations might cause Autism.
I ended up removing the vaccination comment. Then I realized it had already been published!! Doh!!
Hey Dan – great post! I echo Neil’s comment. The so-called “autism link” to immunizations was debunked years ago. I was going to let the statement slide, but I couldn’t ignore your response above – many people vaccinate because they are afraid of the repercussions of NOT vaccinating. Parents with autistic kids want research $$ going towards research to actually find the cause/cure, not wasted on a fear that someone conjured up to get more money (that’s really what happened). Please read an objective look at this by Seth Mnookin’s “The Panic Virus”. Moving on – I’ve coined the phrase “remoting” – so much easier than saying “working remotely” or “working offsite”. Do you have a better one? – Shelley
Shelley, Having a number of RNs and MDs in the family, including a son who treats COVID19 patients 12 plus hours a day in an ICU without adequate PPE gloves, masks, etc., read the history of what happened to the MD who discovered the cause of stomach ulcers. People can’t understand something when their income depends on them not understanding it — whether you are an MD, RN, lawyer, scientist or whatever.
I agree, Alan. Thank you for sharing this example – quite amazing. Your son’s actions are reflective of the tremendous dedication he and thousands of others have to the health and welfare of those around them. I’m praying for their safety and endurance. Our office has divested itself of all PPE needed by our local EMS, which were running short. Dan, I’m deeply appreciative of how you shine light on often overlooked aspects of business leadership to help us all be the leaders our teams need and deserve. Thank you!
Don’t usually comment, but… AMEN!! I have been thinking this for a couple of weeks now. that phrase is already played out. Thanks for the encouragement
Dan, I needed a good laugh this morning. Thank you.
Thank you for that 😆 Laugh!The toilet paper 🧻 Hehehe 🤭
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
It’s very easy to deride people who act on an abundance of caution until you have to make the decision, and you start weighing the cost of a wrong decision. Sure if it’s a day’s work for somebody, maybe you’re right. Start making those calls around cancer risks, long-term toxicity, heritable genetic defects and whole-population exposures and this sort of decision making starts to get hairy very very rapidly.
I wish we would choose better phrases than “shelter in place,” meant for things like tornadoes or hurricanes, when we mean stay home.
Same for “essential” and “life-sustaining” workers and businesses, when they include things that are clearly neither essential or life sustaining, when we really mean high risk for contagiousness.
âsmartâ vs. âabundance of cautionâ ⦠I like it!!
If I open one more email that starts with ‘we are carefully monitoring…’ I too shall gag. Let’s not waste time pointing out the obvious. Cut to the chase and tell me what is different for you so I can adjust myself… and get back to my own careful monitoring.
Schitt$ creek is fantastic.The family being forced to confinement in their small quarters in the small town is somewhat apt for this enforced social distancing.
This is a fluid situation!
So is diarrhea, and maybe this is why there is a run on TP?
Dear Dan, Now I know why I’m not married. Might save years of therapy.
Here are two words I have come to despise:
unprecedented – in the history of the world, I’m not sure if anything is unprecedented
Elderly – in relationship to someone under eighty, really!
It was good to know that I’m not the only one who hits send before I was suppose to…
Thank you!
Great Article!! I am tired of hearing businesses now saying, “Apologize for the inconvenience.” Why are you apologizing?! YOU didn’t do anything!
Exception: I don’t blame school administrators with ‘abundance of caution’ What it really means is “We know that your children are truly the most important things that ever were. The thing we’re talking about exists on the earthly plane, but when it comes to your angels, we can’t be too careful and we are a little tired of being blamed and harrassed. So please don’t write that angry email you already had half-penned”
Take abundant care of yourselves 🙂
While working remotely, I am laughing at this. We use to be able to say “Use Common Sense”, but that seems to have gone the way of the toilet paper. If people would exercise wisdom we would all be a lot further ahead. Respect one another. I am not sick and yet was staying home as my wife had the regular flu, so as to not pass that along. let’s honor one another.
When people start off by saying, “Honestly…” or day, “If you want my honest opinion…”.
No, please lie straight to my face. I LOVE it.
Man, that was awesome! If I had a nickel for every time . . . Thanks for the suggestions for substituting terms! Excellent.
THANK YOU SO MUCH DAN!
That was so much needed. It’s going viral. 🙂
I chuckled at some of the comments in this blog post because this is an expression I use occasionally. For me, I think it is an attempt at appealing to some larger authority and seeming like I know more than I do – at least that is how it sounds. I would add to the author’s comments a couple of other questions – Who determines the standards of “caution” in this expression? Is it some collective caution? That seems to be the way it is used. When I think of this expression I picture the person at the gate desk in an airport explaining to me why my flight is delayed. The expression implies a pre-occupation with a small risk, and going overboard to avoid it. Airline travel is a good example that shows the expression does not make sense. An abundance of caution would mean no one got on airplanes. But the reality is that we use “reasonable” caution, as the author says. A person using “reasonable” caution looks at the solid safety record and convenience of airplanes, balances risk and reward, then decides it is worth a miniscule risk to travel quickly on a plane. I am going to try to use this expression less.
Yes, thank you for your post. “Out of an abundance of caution” was contrived and then everyone jumped on the band wagon. Please, use your own phrases and stop using that contrived phrase that has become meaningless and irritating. Thank you.
Phrase to go away “Let’s Calibrate” (Gagging Sound) They use it to sound important. We used to call it “getting on the same page”. Calibrate just sounds pretentious. We need to be real and communicate clearly
Exactly. Thank you. The phenomenon of folks repeating a phrase ad infinitum without stopping to think what it really means. If it’s trendy then it must be good; use it as often as possible to show that you’re on trend. Because God forbid that you’re not.