Breaking "We've Always Done It This Way"

The Language Patterns That Thwart Innovation

"The most dangerous phrase in the language is 'we've always done it this way.'" — Grace Hopper, Computer Pioneer and Naval Officer

What You'll Learn

• How conventional thinking creates a hidden tax on your organization

• The six language patterns that consistently kill innovation

• Practical steps to shift from conventionality to creativity

• How to create psychological safety for experimentation

• Ways to connect innovation to organizational purpose

Have you ever presented a new idea only to hear someone respond, "That's not how we do things here"? Those words might seem innocent enough, but they represent one of the

most powerful innovation killers in organizational life today. In a world where businesses must evolve faster than ever before, language patterns that reinforce conventionality have become more than just frustrating—they're existentially dangerous.

The Cost of Conventional Thinking

Conventional thinking isn't just a minor nuisance in today's rapidly evolving business landscape—it's a substantial organizational tax that few leaders recognize they're paying.

When we default to doing things the way they've always been done, we're not making a neutral choice. We're actively choosing comfort overgrowth, familiarity over opportunity, and past patterns over future potential. This hidden tax manifests in multiple ways:

Lost innovation opportunities. According to McKinsey research, innovative companies generate twice as much excess growth compared to other companies and deliver more than five percentage points of additional excess gross margin versus other Global 2000 firms. When conventional thinking prevails, these opportunities vanish.

Declining engagement. Team members whose ideas are consistently met with "we've always done it this way" gradually stop offering them altogether. Their creativity and enthusiasm slowly drain away, replaced by compliance and resignation.

Competitive vulnerability. While your organization clings to traditional approaches, competitors who embrace experimentation gain market advantage. By the time the threat becomes obvious, the gap may be too wide to close.

The Unconscious Nature of Conventionality

What makes conventional thinking so persistent is that it operates largely beneath our awareness. As humans, we naturally default to our comfort zones—the behaviors and thought patterns that have worked for us in the past.

We're creatures of habit. Our brains relegating familiar thinking to our unconscious mind, where behaviors become habitual. This mechanism serves us well in many ways but makes rapid change extremely difficult. We become comfortable with our habits, and these habitual behaviors form our comfort zone.

Darwin's model of generational evolution is no longer sufficient for our organizations to remain viable. Left to our own devices, we live out our entire lives in our comfort zone—and risk becoming obsolete. Instead, we must develop the ability for inner-generational development: the capacity to retool ourselves many times within our lifetime.

The Language Patterns That Reinforce Conventionality

The words we use don't just reflect our thinking—they shape it. Certain language patterns consistently reinforce conventional thinking and close the door to innovation:

1. "We've always done it this way"

This phrase is so common it's become cliché, yet it persists because it feels safe. It implicitly suggests that past methods are proven, while new approaches carry risk.

2. "That won't work here"

This dismissal often comes without real consideration. It's a thought-terminating phrase that shuts down exploration before it can begin.

3. "Let's be realistic"

While appearing pragmatic, this phrase often masks fear of change. "Realistic" becomes code for "staying within our comfort zone."

4. "We tried something similar before"

Past failures become permanent roadblocks rather than learning opportunities. This language pattern fails to recognize that timing, execution, and context might be entirely different now.

5. "That's not how we do things"

This phrase enforces unwritten cultural rules about acceptable ideas and approaches, limiting innovation to narrow, predetermined paths.

6. "Let me tell you why that won't work"

Starting with obstacles rather than possibilities creates a negative filter through which all new ideas must pass. Few survive this gauntlet.

These phrases aren't just harmless habits—they're active barriers to growth. They create what Carol Dweck calls a "fixed mindset" at the organizational level, where capabilities are seen as static rather than expandable.

From Conventionality to Creativity: The Transformational Shift

The good news is that conventionality isn't hardwired—it's a habit we can change. The shift from conventionality to creativity starts with recognizing that we have a choice: operate from our commitment to comfort or operate from our higher purpose.

True transformation occurs when we become conscious of our unconscious patterns. When we realize that our "Default Success Strategies"—the automatic behaviors that have worked for us in the past—are not who we are, but simply strategies we've adopted, we open the door to new possibilities.

Here's how transformational leaders drive this shift:

1. They make the unconscious conscious

By naming conventional thinking when it appears and gently challenging its assumptions, they bring awareness to patterns that would otherwise operate beneath the surface.

2. They connect innovation to purpose

When new approaches are explicitly tied to meaningful organizational purposes, they provide motivation that can overcome the gravitational pull of comfort.

3. They model creative risk-taking

Leaders who are willing to step outside their own comfort zones create psychological safety for others to do the same.

4. They shift language from barriers to bridges

They consciously replace the language patterns of conventionality with phrases that open possibilities:

"What if we...?"

"How might we...?"

"What would make this possible?"

5. They celebrate experimentation regardless of outcome

By recognizing and rewarding thoughtful risk-taking—even when it doesn't succeed—they create cultures where creativity can flourish.

Practical Steps to Break Free from Conventionality

If you're ready to move your team or organization away from "we've always done it this way" thinking, here are five practical steps to begin:

1. Conduct a language audit

For one week, note every time you hear (or use) phrases that reinforce conventionality. This awareness is the first step toward change.

2. Implement the "Yes, and..." rule

Borrowed from improvisational comedy, this approach requires building on ideas rather than immediately evaluating or dismissing them. It separates idea generation from idea assessment.

3. Institute regular pattern interruptions

Deliberately disrupt routines to prevent automatic thinking. Hold meetings in different locations, rotate leadership roles, or use novel formats for discussions.

4. Create psychological safety for risk-taking

Make it explicitly clear through both words and actions that thoughtful experimentation is valued, even when outcomes don't match expectations.

5. Connect innovation to purpose

Regularly reinforce how creative thinking serves your organization's higher purpose, providing motivation that goes beyond comfort.

The Choice Before Us

The shift from conventionality to creativity isn't easy. It requires us to make a fundamental choice: Will we operate from fear-based comfort or purpose-driven growth? This is the essence of personal and organizational transformation.

Remember, your Default Success Strategies—the conventional approaches that got you where you are—work great... until they don't. As the pace of change accelerates around us, we face a stark reality: what brought success in the past may very well lead to failure in the future.

But when we recognize that conventionality is simply a habit—not who we are—we open ourselves to new possibilities. We discover that we're not fixed beings, but constantly evolving ones, capable of growing beyond our comfortable patterns into new capabilities.

The words "we've always done it this way" don't have to be a period at the end of innovation. They can instead be an ellipsis... an opening to ask, "But what if we didn't?"

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