A knife in the hand of a murderer leads to death, … but a knife in the hand of a surgeon leads to life.
Designed and Developed by Paul M. Critchlow, © 2026,
“When Spreadsheets Lie – that false confidence in spreadsheets,” released 10 Feb 2026.
Most people in the office say they know Excel.
And to be fair, they are not lying. They can open a workbook. They can type into cells. They can copy and paste. They can change a date, update a figure, filter a list, and maybe adjust a basic formula if they have seen it before.
But there is a quiet fear sitting behind many office desks.
The fear is this:
“What if people find out I don’t actually understand this file?”
This fear is far more common than most businesses realise.
Many staff members inherit spreadsheets they did not build. The person who created the file left years ago. The workbook has been copied from month to month, year to year, department to department. New columns were added. Old formulas were dragged across. Some cells were overwritten. Some tabs were hidden. Some reports are copied manually because “that is how we have always done it.”
The staff member using the file may know which cells to update, but not why the file works. They may know what to print, but not where the totals come from. They may know the routine, but not the system.
That is not laziness. It is workplace survival.
People often pretend to understand because they are afraid of looking incompetent.
· They are afraid of being judged.
· They are afraid that asking a simple question will expose a bigger gap.
· So instead of saying, “I don’t know how this works,” they say, “Yes, I can manage.”
And the business believes them.
The problem is that this fear creates risk.
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If staff do not understand the spreadsheet, they may avoid fixing problems. If formulas break, they may not notice. If reports are wrong, they may still be sent. If information is copied manually, errors can quietly multiply.
If only one person knows the routine, the business becomes dependent on that person being available every day.
This is where basic computer literacy is no longer enough.
Modern office work needs more than typing and updating existing files.
Businesses need staff who understand structure, data capture, formulas, checks, reporting, version control, shared files, and basic workflow.
They do not need every staff member to become an Excel expert, but they do need people who are confident enough to ask better questions and follow better systems.
The first step is not embarrassment. The first step is honesty.
A staff member who says, “I can use Excel, but I need to understand reporting and controls better,” is far more valuable than someone who quietly guesses their way through an important workbook.
Businesses should create safer spaces for staff to admit what they do not know. Not to punish them, but to train them properly.
Because the real danger is not that someone lacks a skill.
The real danger is when nobody is willing to admit it.
PMC Business Solutions
Workplace Systems for Business Control
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