After singing an animated round of “Happy Birthday” at a milestone birthday party (my goddaughter hit the big 1 0 or double digit status), I asked the party goers about their favorite cake? The birthday girl was quick to point out we were eating her favorite – homemade chocolate cake with butter cream frosting. Her older brother fancied vanilla cake with butter cream and fresh sweet berries. And the youngest? He echoed his brother’s preference while inhaling his cake (fastest in the east). I asked him “why was it he ate the chocolate cake so quickly when vanilla’s his favorite?” From across the table he looked me square in the eyes and undeniably proclaimed “hey, cake is cake” then gobbled up his last bite.

Such profound clarity out of the mouths of babes! Sure there are many flavors of cake. And there are oodles and oodles of frostings too. Mixing and matching them produces limitless delicious desserts. You couldn’t sample them all in your life time even if you tried (and I am trying). At the end of the day - there is no substitute for cake. Pie is not cake. Pudding is not cake. Cookies and pastries are not cake. Ice cream, a frequent accompaniment of cake, is not cake. Cake is cake.

This phenomenon of passing something else off as cake plays out in the workplace all the time and without much success. For instance, an announcement claiming a “merger of equals” produces cynicism and employees know better. Call it what it is – an acquisition.

Pointing out “areas of improvement” in performance reviews does not constitute development planning. So, either implement true development planning or stop touting your mirage.

Pushing decision making down to the lowest level in the company can improve the speed, agility and critical thinking skills at every level in the organization. When micromanagers, authoritarians or bureaucrats do what they do then employee empowerment is merely a façade.

Knowledge workers are sharp. There is no amount of avoidance, word smithing, fast talking, sugar coating or fancy footwork that will convince folks otherwise. So, when you want to get the most from your employees and yourself, let them eat cake!