Is Your Work Getting Dumb or Dumber?

Mistakes every organization makes

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It happens every day, like clockwork. I come across one or more posts that try to answer the questions we all have asked — even if we pretend otherwise.

• What is the secret to career success?
• What is the golden formula for climbing the corporate ladder?
• How can you impress your manager?
• What distinguishes good leaders from bad ones?

And if you believe the endless flow of advice out there, the answers seem deceptively simple: the 4Ps, the 5 Steps, the 11 Principles.

Catchy formulas — almost poetic — promising a clear path forward in only a few bullet points.

I’ve been guilty of this too.

I’ve written papers with frameworks like the “6Cs of Corporate Success” — coordination, communication, connection, collaboration, co-creation, and conversation. I even pitched strategies for corporate innovation, like “turning employees into entrepreneurs” or “designing for serendipity.”

At the time, it all sounded groundbreaking.

I felt so smart when I referenced my 6 Cs in discussions with others.