DEJA POO | 044 | Addressing Institutional Theater
Tactics to protect students, support staff, and demand methods that matter.
You’ve heard them before. They often sound official, urgent, and they usually precede inertia dressed as action. Sometimes they’re inappropriate. I started jotting some of them down.
“The new comprehensive technology platform will be easy to implement.”
“If you take on this critical leadership role, I promise to support you and have your back.”
“A kind, student-centered educational leader was bullied out of their job. We’ll get to the bottom of it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“I need to know what’s being said in your meetings. I know you’ve built trust, but don’t worry, it’s not snitching. I just need to know the issues; who said what.”
“HR will handle it fairly and quickly.”
“We’re applying for a grant. Only three days to deadline!”
“We’ll just review the last meeting minutes. It won’t take long.”
“The task force recommendations will move through the committee structure fast.”
When that warm, familiar wave hits; that moment you think, haven’t I heard this play before? You are standing in the middle of DEJA POO.1 It’s often performative language parading as leadership or expertise. And it’s corrosive. I’m sure you can think of more examples.
Why DEJA POO matters
• These phrases (and the many you can think of) are often placeholders for missing work. They offer the illusion of movement (a statement, a committee, a report) while postponing hard decisions: who does the work and which outcomes matter.
• They paper over power imbalances. “We’ll get to the bottom of it” can be a way to absorb dissent without consequences. “HR will handle it” can be a euphemism for doing nothing substantive.
• They erode trust. Asking people to report on meetings, especially private ones, destroys trust and chills honest conversation. This is surveillance, not support, especially when the information is weaponized to target individuals instead of addressing root causes.
Note: DEJA POO also includes recurring bullying in higher education. I unpack it and how to deal with it in this brief piece.
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What to do when DEJA POO enters the room
Don’t be passive. A healthy dose of skepticism is not cynicism; it’s professional discernment. Try these moves:
1. Ask for the plan, not the pep talk.
When someone says “easy to implement,” ask for an action plan: owners, timeline, budget, training, implementation metrics, and escalation triggers. If you don’t get specifics, assume it’s not ready.
2. Insist on transparency.
No unilateral deadlines or surprise grants. Ask for a realistic timeline to review proposals and a clear decision rubric.
3. Protect dignity, not theater.
If “HR will handle it,” request a timeline and interim supports for affected parties. Ask for confidentiality protections and checkpoints. Don’t accept “we’ll look into it” as closure.
4. Translate promises into small implementations and data.
When applicable, insist on a small implementation with measurable indicators. One or two semesters data beats a year of glossy rollout slides.
5. Keep a paper trail and write things down.
Notes, dates, and requested deliverables matter. If a “quick” meeting becomes the only record of a decision, you’ll wish you had documented it.
6. Refuse “snitching.” Protect trust.
If asked for names and private and/or confidential conversations or meeting details, decline and ask purpose, audience, and confidentiality rules.
Institutions succeed when people do real work together; not when people substitute rhetoric for labor. DEJA POO is a useful muscle memory: when you feel it, protect the people doing the heavy lifting.
And never betray a colleague’s trust.
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Onward…
Dr. Al Solano
Founder, Continuous Learning Institute | About
Host, Student Success Podcast
A meaningful test of success is how helpful we are in contributing to our fellow human being’s happiness.
“Deja Poo” posts have been shared throughout social media. I don’t know the originator. The last one I saw is from Instagram account, “@thealphawomenclub.”