Open the kimono and grab the low hanging fruit
(A somewhat frivolous look at management speak: A bit of humour mixed with reality. Also included is a free template.)
Management worldwide mostly speak the same language. This language, mostly jargon, or at best flowery adverbs and adjectives, works towards presenting a somewhat unclear picture of what the company actually does. Many of the senior executives learn management speak when they study business courses, read management books and articles, or along the way up the proverbial corporate ladder. It is the effect of a collective thinking that makes such words and terminology almost a standard across top management levels throughout the world. It also serves to impress (and on occasion to intimidate) customers and to appear brighter than one is. After all, try to confuse customers if you cannot convince them.
I studied an MBA and later a PhD. In both cases, I was surrounded by such words and terms, in books, articles, and in how colleagues, corporations, and students spoke. In both degree studies, sometimes the content of the message got obfuscated (= blurred) by the fragrance (and mist/fog) surrounding the message. With an MBA, one learns how to speak in copious amounts when a simple, short message would work. With a PhD, one learns how to write long-winded articles when perhaps a few pages would explain the research equally well. Unfortunately this has also reached CV/résumé writing where ‘power words’, and ‘action verbs’ appear to carry a lot of weight. There are certain ‘must have’ words that one is encouraged to put on one’s résumé. However, I believe it is best to transmit a message in the simplest way possible, than to try impress, where more often than than not one just ends up confusing the recipient.
Therefore, I present a handy guide, a template, a ready reckoner, a cook book if you will, to help with blurring the message and content. Although it doesn’t really contain any jargon, it is an example of how one can deliver many modern day management messages and sayings.
The guide above can be used by managers, senior staff, and top executives in one or more of the following situations:
-Developing the company’s mission statement
-Developing the company’s vision statement
-Delivering the company’s sales/business pitch
-When you don’t know the answer to (any) question
-Describing your current strategy
-Describing your future strategy
-Explaining why the clients should select you
-Describing the company’s core values
Fun mathematics: Considering all the provided word choices in the model, we have the possibility of 7x6x5x7x5x6x5x6x6x5xC(13,3) unique statements. C(13,3) is taking a combination of 3 from a set of 13 as in the last choice, so C(13,3) = 13!/(3!x10!) = 286. Thus we have 11,351,340,000 unique sentences. More than enough for any strategy, mission, or vision for every company in the world. And also enough to answer every possible tricky business question. You will always have something to say! How would you describe your company’s mission if you use the simple framework provided?
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.