The Busyness Paradox

Ever sit in a meeting and know exactly what you want to say, but also know that saying it might be a career-limiting move?

We’re back with another episode of The Busyness Paradox, the world’s most regularly irregular podcast. We don’t record on a schedule. We record when inspiration strikes. And this time, inspiration came from a collection of brutally accurate corporate one-liners for situations that should feel ridiculous, except we’ve all experienced them.

What do you say when you’re handed your third “highest priority” before 10 a.m.? When you’re told to “own” something but aren’t actually given the authority to make a decision? When three weeks of work suddenly needs to be completed in 48 hours? Or when the fifth meeting about a problem ends by scheduling the sixth meeting about the problem?

Paul tries to come up with his own responses before we reveal the one-liners, and somewhere along the way we stumble into policy inception, committees on committees, stretch opportunities without stretch paychecks, performative feedback, impossible timelines, and the mysterious corporate phenomenon in which yesterday’s approved strategy suddenly isn’t “quite the direction.”

We also wander into a surprisingly serious conversation about meetings, busywork, organizational inertia, institutional knowledge, layoffs, and why organizations sometimes make it so difficult to simply do the work.

Among the questions we probably shouldn’t ask out loud:

• Which emergency would you like me to ignore?

• Am I empowered or just responsible?

• Should we solve this, or would everyone prefer another meeting?

• Are we looking for my feedback or my agreement?

• Would you like the realistic answer or the one that fits on PowerPoint?

• And, of course, which Friday are we emotionally attached to?

It’s workplace absurdity, organizational behavior, and the things we’re all thinking but probably shouldn’t put in an email.

Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts,  blog posts and other content while you’re there!

In this episode, we tackle something everyone recognizes, but no one has really tested until now: corporate bullshit.

Inspired by recent research and a Cornell study on the Corporate Bullshit Receptivity Scale, we break down what corporate BS actually is, why it works, and what it says about both the people delivering it and the people buying into it.

We also put it to the test with a game of “Is It Corporate BS?” and discover that real executive communication is often indistinguishable from complete nonsense.

Along the way, we explore a troubling paradox: the people most impressed by corporate jargon may be the least equipped to make good decisions, yet they are often the most satisfied and inspired at work.

As always, we remain the most regularly irregular podcast on the planet, recording only when inspiration strikes.

Key Takeaways

• Corporate BS is not just annoying, it can signal poor decision-making
• “Semantically empty” language sounds impressive but lacks meaning
• People who are more receptive to corporate jargon may rate leaders more highly
• There may be a feedback loop where BS-friendly employees elevate BS-speaking leaders
• Sometimes corporate BS is not accidental, it can be used intentionally to obscure reality
• If you cannot understand something, it is not always because it is smart

Links Referenced

• Cornell article on corporate BS:
  https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/03/workers-who-love-synergizing-paradigms-might-be-bad-their-jobs
• Original research on the Corporate Bullshit Receptivity Scale:
  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/400597536_The_Corporate_Bullshit_Receptivity_Scale_Development_validation_and_associations_with_workplace_outcomes

Episode Highlights

• The definition of corporate BS and how it differs from real jargon
• “Semantically empty” as the phrase of the episode
• The Pepsi and Microsoft examples of BS gone wrong
• Weaponized corporate BS in layoffs
• The “Is It Corporate BS?” game
• The realization that we may also be part of the problem

Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts,  blog posts and other content while you’re there!

Live from the Southern Management Association conference in Greenville, SC, Frank hosts a special episode of The Busyness Paradox with guest Dr. Julie Hancock, Director of the People Center at the University of North Texas (https://cob.unt.edu/mgmt/tpc/index.html). With Paul “replaced by AI” for the day, the conversation explores the intersection of artificial intelligence and human resources—and what happens when algorithms meet employee lives. 

They tackle big questions:
•Should we actually worry when AI isn’t involved in hiring?
•Can algorithms remove bias—or just learn new ones from us?
•Does AI improve HR decisions, or simply automate bad ones faster?
•What skills will the next generation need to thrive alongside AI?
•How do we protect the “human” side of human resources?

Along the way, they dive into:
•The dangers of AI hallucinations (including fake meta-analyses and citations).  
•Students using ChatGPT in creative — and not-so-creative — ways.
•HR’s reputation as the “Grim Reaper” and how AI could make that worse.  
•Whether robots will eventually achieve citizenship, feelings, or just vacuum better.
•Why prompt engineering may become the next big job field.  

This episode blends humor, real-world HR insight, and a live audience eager to jump into the discussion. If you care about work, people, ethics, or the future of HR, this one’s for you.

Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts,  blog posts and other content while you’re there!

In this episode of The Busyness Paradox, Frank and Paul dive into Maya Sulkin’s viral article, Why Gen Z Hates Work, and unpack what’s really driving younger workers’ frustrations with traditional careers. From stalled job markets to the lure of influencer lifestyles, we explore how cultural shifts and economic realities collide in shaping Gen Z’s approach to work.

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🔑 Key Topics Covered

•Why Gen Z unemployment is more than double the national average

•How TikTok and influencer culture make corporate jobs look meaningless

•Real-life stories: job rejections, influencer “success,” and burnout

•Why middle management has become a “punishment” instead of a promotion

•The disconnect between corporate perks and what Gen Z actually values

•What this generational shift means for the future of work

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🤔 Why You Should Listen

Whether you think Gen Z is lazy, savvy, or simply playing by new rules, this episode will challenge assumptions about work, purpose, and what younger generations actually want from their careers. Spoiler: it’s not free bagels.

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📌 Episode Links

•Original article: Why Gen Z Hates Work – The Free Press

•More episodes of The Busyness Paradox: busynessparadox.com

Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts,  blog posts and other content while you’re there!

After a long hiatus, Frank and Paul are back behind the mics for The Busyness Paradox, and this time they’re diving into one of the most divisive workplace topics of the moment: Return to Office mandates. From federal policies to corporate culture shifts, they explore who’s calling employees back, why some companies are thriving without it, and how different setups affect productivity, mental health, and team dynamics.

Along the way, they detour into:

•Paul’s 18-month spreadsheet project to track Justin Wuntake desk time.

•Whether free bagels count as a legitimate return-to-office perk.

•Why scanning all your home appliance manuals into AI might just change your life.

•Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee’s surprising success story with a fully remote workforce.

•The pendulum swing between remote flexibility and in-person mandates — and where it might land next.

With their usual mix of humor, practical insight, and side quests into AI, textbooks, and podcast improv competitions, this episode is part catch-up, part workplace commentary, and all Busyness Paradox.

Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts,  blog posts and other content while you’re there!

Live from the Southern Management Association conference in St. Pete Beach, FL, Frank and Paul interview Cornel University's Dr. Mike Lynn, arguably the world's foremost researcher on service tipping. We discuss the pros and cons of tipping as a form of compensation, demographic differences in tipping rates and, of course, the sudden proliferation of tipping into seemingly every facet of our lives.

If you're tired of tipping at self-service cash registers, you'll enjoy this one. And if you're a management researcher, listen up! Stunningly, with the exception of Dr. Lynn, this dramatic shift in service work compensation has flown almost completely under our radar so far. Let's get cracking folks.

Links to People and Publications Mentioned in This Episode:


- Dr. Michael Lynn - Michael D. Johnson and Family Professor of Services Marketing, Cornell University
- The moral imperative of tipping
- A Traveler’s Guide to Tipping in a Changed World
- Danny Meyer’s Restaurants Will End Their No-Tipping Policy
- Service sweethearting: An effective way to increase tips?
- Giving vs. Giving In

Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts,  blog posts and other content while you’re there!

Fans of American College Football were recently treated to a baffling display of heroic determination. Needing only to touch a kneecap to a blade of grass to secure a hard fought victory, the University of Miami's gridiron team bravely stole defeat from the jaws of victory. How? With unnecessary busywork, of course.  

Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts,  blog posts and other content while you’re there!

Larry Thornton and Dave Ketchen join us to discuss their award-winning graphic novel, "You Have to Live, Why Not Win?" and Larry's journey from racial segregation to success as an entrepreneur, author, teacher and artist. This is our most inspirational interview yet and will make you question your perceptions of yourself and others. In a good way. We promise. If you listen to one episode of the Busyness Paradox, make sure it's this one.

As Frank summarized in his review of the book (in press, Academy of Management Learning & Education):

Ultimately, indeed, you have to live, and with generative artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, becoming more prevalent in the work- place, the characteristics of communication skills, relationship skills, disposition, deportment, and demeanor introduced in this book are certain to help students differentiate themselves through their ability to relate to others, thus giving them a greater opportunity to win.

Links to People, Places, and Books Mentioned in this Episode:
- You Have to Live…Why Not Win? A Graphic Novel
- Why Not Win? Reflections on a fifty-year journey from the segregated South to America's boardrooms - and what it can teach us all
- Why Not Win Institute
- Larry Thornton
- Dave Ketchen

Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts,  blog posts and other content while you’re there!

We humans have a love/hate relationship with change. Many of us are probably alive today because some cave-dwelling ancestor said “on second thought, let’s not try that new shortcut through viper country cousin Erg suggested before he mysteriously disappeared.” Yet we also fear the consequences of NOT changing with the times: obsolescence, boredom and generally getting left behind as the world moves on. 

And so we cling to the familiar, instinctively pushing back against the mere suggestion that there are new and better ways to do our jobs or live our lives. All while harboring a dread fear of what would almost certainly happen if we don’t embrace the very changes we are afraid of. Join us as we ponder this paradox of paralysis, where the only thing we fear more than change is the consequences of not changing. 
 

Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts,  blog posts and other content while you’re there!

Have you ever gotten a pay raise and then, looking back, sort of wished you hadn't? It's become a surprisingly common phenomenon as employees have found hidden strings attached to the Covid-era generosity shown by employers. To discuss this unusual predicament, we sought out someone with a usual perspective on the workplace: meet Dr. Caleb Sanchez, a former police officer turned business psychologist. Join us as Dr. Sanchez, founder of Executive Equilibrium, shares his advice for adjusting to the shifting realities of the post-Covid workplace.

Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts,  blog posts and other content while you’re there!