Buzzword fun

[Exterous]

I might have sent the most buzz wordy/leadershipy email of my career. "The organic growth is in tension with the project objectives and time constraints.".

"While some progress has been made to increase alignment with previously proposed cadences, challenges still exist."

Other phrases:
"excessive, mutually reinforcing deference"
"have a conversation around strengths and opportunities which are formalized and relayed in clear roles"

 

[brianmanahan]

someone promote this man!

today i heard somebody say:

"our ask is that you ask your direct reports to direct their asks to you"

it was said without a shred of irony, which made me enjoy it all the more

 

[Exterous]

someone promote this man!

today i heard somebody say:

"our ask is that you ask your direct reports to direct their asks to you"

it was said without a shred of irony, which made me enjoy it all the more

Ah yes. "Your staff is annoying so please tell them to stop whining to us. They're you're problem so you deal with it"

 

[brianmanahan]

Ah yes. "Your staff is annoying so please tell them to stop whining to us. They're you're problem so you deal with it"

haha yep basically. there is talk of possible reorgs, so everybody is on edge.

i for one would love to get canned, but they'll probably keep me because i'm a glutton for punishment.

 

[lxskllr]

Why do you write like that? I'd have written it all as real English, mainly just to monkeywrench their nonsense, but it would have the side benefit of greater clarity, and allow myself to go home without feeling like a twat. Change starts with you. It could be the revolution that excises bullshit from the workplace.

 

[brianmanahan]

i have delivered value... but at what cost?

 

[Red Squirrel]

I don't hear too much corporate buzzwords at my work but every now and then they pop up. I'd say communication is split fairly evenly between French and English and I'm not even sure what the buzzwords are in French come to think of it...I feel they would actually use the English terms even if talking in French. "I'll faut qu'on up nos KPIs, les stakeholders son't appres capotter!! Le gros boss va etre en tabarnak!".

 

[Exterous]

i have delivered value... but at what cost?

The slack notification noises in the background in that made me check my own slack alerts

 

[Exterous]

Why do you write like that? I'd have written it all as real English, mainly just to monkeywrench their nonsense, but it would have the side benefit of greater clarity, and allow myself to go home without feeling like a twat. Change starts with you. It could be the revolution that excises bullshit from the workplace.

It's usually when I don't have direct control over a person\situation and there is more than one leadership person on the email who I need to do The Things but will be resistant to those things or viewpoints. It's non-accusatory language aimed at fixing the issue and not who caused it (or get people defensive if they think I'm saying they caused it even if I'm really not). Because I am being open, helpful and trying to fix an issue if someone ends up being a dick in a reply or meeting they'll get pressured by other leadership people to play ball. I had one person's bosses boss say directly "Exterous is just trying to help us overcome obstacles to achieve the goal so I'm not understanding your hostility or resistance to his efforts."

And, frankly, if you lay out the issues this way most leadership can connect the dots and figure out who is at fault anyway.

I work with big organizations and often for not very long. The chances of me making any kind of change around language selection is minimal. I get paid fairly well because I can get these organizations to implement change despite their internal disagreements or dysfunction