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The Absurdity Pattern Library
Making Sense of The Patterns
You’ve been in this meeting before.
Everyone agrees. The slide says “aligned.”
And yet something doesn’t hold.
These aren’t random moments.
They are patterns.
This library helps you recognize them while they’re happening.
Start Here: Pick one that feels familiar.
Alignment Theatre
Everyone agrees in the meeting.
No one leaves aligned.
- Agreement happens quickly, real concerns don’t
- The meeting moves forward yet people leave with different assumptions
- “Alignment” is declared to avoid slowing things
👉 Try noticing:
Are we actually aligned, or just ready to move on?
Conversations Loops
You’ve had this conversation before.
It just had a different name last time.
- The same issues resurface
- Decisions are revisited without moving forward
- Problems come back after being “closed”
👉 Try noticing:
What are we saying again that we already said before?
Execution Drift
The plan was clear.
What actually happened In execution was not.
- Work slowly shifts off course
- Priorities change without being named
- No single moment caused it, but everyone feels it
👉 Try noticing:
Where did the plan quietly start to change?
False Progress
Accountability Hot Potato
We say we’re moving forward.
Nothing meaningful is actually changing.
- Work is completed. The core issue remains
- Activity increases. Outcomes stay the same
- Progress is reported The experience on the ground doesn’t shift
👉 Try noticing:
What is actually different because of what we’re doing?
Artificial Harmony
Accountability Hot Potato
Accountability Hot Potato
Everything feels calm on the surface.
Something underneath doesn’t sit right.
- Tension is avoided, not resolved
- People agree publicly, question privately
- Difficult topics are softened or skipped
👉 Try noticing:
What isn’t being said that everyone can feel?
Accountability Hot Potato
Accountability Hot Potato
Accountability Hot Potato
Responsibility is shared.
No one actually holds it.
- Tasks are discussed but ownership stays unclear
- Work gets passed between people without progress
- Everyone is involved but no one is accountable
👉 Try noticing:
Who actually owns this right now?
Taboo Topics
Priority Overload
Priority Overload
The decision sounds clean.
The cost stays unspoken.
- Tradeoffs are implied, not named
- Downsides are minimized or ignored
- Decisions move forward without full visibility
👉 Try noticing:
What tradeoff are we avoiding naming?
Priority Overload
Priority Overload
Priority Overload
We say we prioritize.
Nothing gets taken off the table.
- Everything is labeled urgent… so focus is split
- New priorities are added… without removing others
- Work keeps switching… before anything is finished
👉 Try noticing:
What are we not doing right now?
Curious ?
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