Let’s start Monday with some business buzzwords:
Synergy. Think outside the box. Customer centric. On the same page.
All are words we hear 20 times a day at work. You’ll be happy to know that they’re among the most annoying or overused phrases as mentioned by 150 senior executives, too, in a recent poll by the temporary staffing service Accountemps.
Perhaps it’s the mindless repetition of them that’s so irritating. But let’s not discount the idiocy of some jargon. After all, any company that’s not customer centric can’t be in business for very long.
These phrases are so loathed that Accountemps put them into its buzzword hall of fame along with the one that irks me the most: “solution.”
Technology companies are some of the prime offenders, proudly stating in their press releases that they sell solutions, prompting me to wonder, “What’s the problem?” Car dealers don’t sell solutions. Neither do dress shops. When my toaster dies, I buy another toaster, not a bread-browning solution.
The financial-services sector is big on peddling solutions, too. After the massive government rescues of banks and insurers, executives would do well to avoid using that word when they next testify before the House Financial Services Committee.
Why must companies cloud what they do, even when they make trust accounting systems or sell variable annuities. Trust me. I don’t bore that easily. But those who call their product or service a “solution” drop a few pegs on my trust meter.
Every company has a boilerplate description of what it is in business to do. Maybe it’s so bland and full of jargon because it’s been lawyered to death. Or maybe it’s deliberately vague to hide the fact that its niche product really can’t be applied to a broader customer base.
When I interview managers, I ask them to tell me what their companies do as if they were explaining it to their 7-year-old son or daughter. Saying “we provide solutions” doesn’t fly with the Transformers or Bratz set.
If anything, clear communication is more important in a bad economy than a good one. The survivors left in leaner workplaces have little patience to hear how they must “interface” with other levels of their organizations.
As much as business has cut back over the last year, one thing none of us would miss from meetings and memos are phrases such as “circle back,” “cutting edge” and “value add.”
At the end of the day, win win is better than a dark and stormy night, although I would rather have a bottle in front of me than frontal lobotomy.— Fernando08
At my first job I was asked to edit a report that some co-workers had written. It kept describing a software company as a "solutions provider". To me this was some bad writing as I had no idea what the heck they were talking about. I thought about brining it to their attention but realized they were probably more familiar with that terminology than I was and would think I was dumb. I didn't say anything, but to this day the use of the word "solutions" irks me. Also irritating: deep dive, leverage, core competencies, strategic initiatives, dynamic, leading, etc. etc. etc.— Bud Fox- Hated: Win-win, paradigm shift, mind share. Most loathsome: Think-outside-the-box... is ANYONE left inside the box? Favorite: GTSA model of distribution. As in, Netscape was done in by the GTSA model of distribution (GTSA = Give the @#$% away). www.local-issues.com— Philly Foibles
- Impactful (not even a word, yet used constantly)
I hate the term proactive.— hopster- There's been a disconnect, so let's circle back and value-add to better leverage and interface this cutting-edge game-changer!— Speakingtruth
- Taking a deeper dive. As in, "let's take a deeper dive into the synergies realized via the new paradigm shift". Here's a suggestion - go to the end of the pier and take a deep dive into the Delaware River. Preferably in February.— The Sod Father
- Hearing the term 'Best Practice' makes my flesh crawl.— PAStringer
Comment removed.- Comment removed.
- "Let's hit the reset button." "Facilitate."— MBowers
- Whoever first used the term "deep dive" really needs to be shot. Also, since when does the word "talent" mean the same thing as "people". Uggh.— Bud Fox
- Going back to the dawn of the business speak age. Why did personnel have to become Human Resources? Another old one I liked was the verb to "Honcho" as in Jack Honchoed that baby all the way through to conclusion. Anyway, its only six of one half dozen of the other.— CamdenCountyReader
- Let's table this discussion and talk about this offline.— PhillerUp
- I have a good one at my work. Rather than a person saying they have a question, they will tell you "I have an 'ask'".— zordich
Mike Armstrong, a business editor and writer for nearly two decades, is the Inquirer's business columnist and PhillyInc blog editor. Contact Mike via e-mail or at 215-854-2980
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