Editiorial: Stop Using These 30 Phrases At Work!

I reckon every office or workplace has one of those people that are just full of jargon-ridden management drivel. Does this kind of 'management speak' remind you of someone at your work place: "Before going forward we have to touch base and reach out to our key stakeholders so that we can drill down into the key issues that are not yet on our radar and catch the low-hanging fruits..."

Are you surrounded by people who annoyingly can't get enough of the management gobbledygook and who utter one jargon buzzword after another? Are your meetings buzzing with so much management lingo that you find it hard to get to the real meaning of what is being said? The problem I have with these phrases is that they sound so pretentious and often are counter-productive because they irritate people so much and deflect from the real meaning.

Below are my top 30 most irritating and overused phrases we hear at work. I am sure you have others that you can add to this list. Let's make it the most comprehensive list of unnecessary management drivel ever - Please add your ones using the comment field!

For me, these are my top 30 most irritating jargon phrases and words used at work:

1. Going forward
2. Drill-down
3. End of play
4. Touch base
5. It's on my radar
6. No brainer
7. Best of breed
8. Low hanging fruit
9. Reach out
10. Dive deeper
11. Think outside the box
12. Positive momentum
13. Execute
14. Milestones
15. Run the numbers
16. Touch points
17. Keep your eye on the ball
18. Back to the drawing board
19. Get the ball rolling
20. Bang for your buck
21. Close the deal
22. Leverage
23. Shift paradigm
24. Move the needle
25. Game-changing
26. Move the goal post
27. Value added
28. Win-win
29. Across the piece
30. All hands on deck

What do you think? Do you agree? Are these the most irritating phrases? Please let me know which ones you would add to this list!

How Networking Can Help You Become the Best Version of Yourself

We all know we should be networking throughout our career, but that doesn't mean we're actually doing it. It takes time and a lot of energy, and it can be really hit-or-miss whether it's worth your while.

Which is why I'm so intrigued by the concept in Pamela Ryckman's book, Stiletto Network: Inside the Women's Power Circles That Are Changing the Face of Business.

Ryckman has discovered an alternative type of network that's not only effective but fun, where women come together to share ideas, exchange advice and even invest in new companies. She's found that small groups of women yield powerful results in business — creating billions of dollars in transactions, snagging corporate board seats and funding companies. All because they've built strong friendships with like-minded professionals who serve as sounding boards and cheerleaders to help them along the way.

LINKEDIN: How can busy professionals find time to network?

RYCKMAN: They key is to make it fun, so it doesn't feel like work.

When I began to unearth these groups across the nation, I learned that members never thought they were "networking" in the traditional sense. They thought they were having dinner with their girlfriends, having fun and helping each other.

They didn't arrive at the table with an angle, and they weren't trying to shake down other women for their connections. When they shared of themselves -- offering guidance, intel, or insight, or making introductions and recommendations -- they weren't putting a dollar in the relationship bank with the intention to withdraw it someday. Instead they were spending time listening to and advocating for treasured friends. So it wasn't hard to find time.

Stiletto Networks enable women to do what men have done since time immemorial: merge business and friendship, and capitalize on connections. Women are now doing deals not because of affirmative action or an altruistic intent to lift up the gender, but because it is smart business with people they know and trust. And in the process they're having so much fun!

LINKEDIN: What are the benefits of a networking group?

RYCKMAN: I talk about a lot of high-powered women in the book, but it’s important to remember they weren’t all wealthy or accomplished when they started these groups. They credit these groups with cheering them on, giving them courage, and facilitating their success. And they say that having the support and validation from other women – finding women who love you but also give you a kick in the pants when necessary – made all the difference.

What’s so refreshing is that in these groups, there’s no singular definition for success. Being a CEO isn’t necessary or right for all women. Stiletto Networks aren’t about getting to the next rung on the ladder; they’re about living your best life, feeling happy and whole and fulfilled. They encourage each woman to become the best version of herself.

Jacky Carter

Foster a Culture of Gratitude

In the movie Remember the Titans, Coach Herman Boone takes his high school football team to the battleground of Gettysburg. Having inherited a fractured and divided squad, Coach Boone implores the players to "take a lesson from the dead. If we don't come together, right now on this hallowed ground, we too will be destroyed, just like they were." Coach Boone then establishes the primacy of an important team virtue: "I don't care if you like each other right now, but you will respect each other."

In every workplace and on every team, all people have the innate desire to feel appreciated and valued by others. Like Coach Boone, leaders of teams — and team members themselves — should work to foster a culture of value and appreciation.

High performing teams have well-defined goals, systems of accountability, clear roles and responsibilities, and open communication. Just as importantly, teams that foster cohesion with a sense of appreciation and gratitude among the team members maximize performance on a number of dimensions. Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith, authors of the Wisdom of Teams, define a high-performing team in part by members' strong personal commitment to the growth and success of each team member and of the team as a whole.

Research on gratitude and appreciation demonstrates that when employees feel valued, they have high job satisfaction, are willing to work longer hours, engage in productive relationships with co-workers and supervisors, are motivated to do their best, and work towards achieving the company's goals. Google, which sits atop many best-places-to-work lists, fosters feelings of employee value through an open culture that promotes employee input, routinely rewards and recognizes performance, and encourages personal growth. In a recent interview, CEO Larry Page stated, "My job as a leader is to make sure everybody in the company has great opportunities, and that they feel they're having a meaningful impact and are contributing to the good of society."

And consider the consequences of not fostering a culture of gratitude: A study of over 1,700 employees conducted in 2012 by the American Psychological Association (APA) indicated that more than half of all employees intended to search for new jobs because they felt underappreciated and undervalued.

Several recent articles point out the importance of saying "thank you" and giving specific praise to employees when earned in genuine, honest, and heartfelt ways. Mark Gaston's blog on How to Give a Meaningful Thank-you is full of great advice such as sharing with employees how their contributions had personal significance for the leader and team.
In addition to these very important gestures of thanks, recent research suggests that a leader can enhance a culture of gratitude in the following ways.

1. Help others develop. Interestingly, the APA study indicated that 70% of employees feel valued at work when they have opportunities for growth and development. While promotion opportunities within companies may sometimes be limited, you can still invest in team members' professional development through training, assignment to new and interesting projects, participation on task forces, and exposure to new and interesting different areas through cross-training. Employees frequently have skills that extend beyond the position for which the company hired them. Additionally, they typically grow their skills over time. Leveraging these broad skill sets can lead to greater engagement and satisfaction.
2. Involve employees. Team members feel valued when they have an opportunity to take part in decision-making, problem-solving, and to use their skills to benefit the organization. A 2012 study by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) showed the importance of employees' opportunities to use skills and abilities, with 63% of respondents listing the ability to use their skills as the top driver of their job satisfaction.
3. Support camaraderie and collegiality. I conducted a study many years ago on the positive benefits of friendship in the workplace. Camaraderie in the workplace can lead to greater job satisfaction and commitment to the organization and doing a job well. Leaders should foster collegiality, help to eliminate toxic and dysfunctional team behaviors, and create opportunities for team members other than on work projects. At Google, the games/toys the company provides allow for entertaining and informal interactions among colleagues. These positive and fun feelings carry over when the colleagues work on projects together. The SHRM study in 2012 found employees' relationships with their co-workers was the second highest factor related to their connection and commitment to the organization. Team leaders may also consider using social contracts, explicit agreements on how team members interact, to help shape positive behaviors within their teams.

Taking the time and effort to create a culture that values and appreciates the diversity and similarity within a team can reap great rewards in terms of performance and satisfaction of the entire team. At the end of the day, this principle is really very simple: we all want to feel valued and appreciated. So, in addition to overt recognition to employees, use a variety of ways to build a culture of gratitude.

Article by CHRISTINE M. RIORDAN