Many people working in large companies speak business-buzzwords as a second language. Business language is full of pretty meaningless words. I Don’t Understand What Anyone Is Saying Anymore article tells that the language of internet business models has made the problem even worse. There are several strains of this epidemic: We have forgotten how to use the real names of real things, acronymitis, and Meaningless Expressions (like “Our goal is to exceed the customer’s expectation”). This would all be funny if it weren’t true. Observe it, deconstruct it, and appreciate just how ridiculous most business conversation has become.
Check out this brilliant Web Economy Bullshit Generator page. It generates random bullshit text based on the often used words in business language. And most of the material it generates look something you would expect from IT executives and their speechwriters (those are randomly generated with Web Economy Bullshit Generator):
“scale viral web services”
“integrate holistic mindshare”
“transform back-end solutions”
“incentivize revolutionary portals”
“synergize out-of-the-box platforms”
“enhance world-class schemas”
“aggregate revolutionary paradigms”
“enable cross-media relationships”
How to talk like a CIO article tries to tell how do CIOs talk, and what do they talk about, and why they do it like they do it. It sometimes makes sense to analyze the speaking and comportment styles of the people who’ve already climbed the corporate ladder if you want to do the same.
The Most Annoying, Pretentious And Useless Business Jargon article tells that the stupid business talk is longer solely the province of consultants, investors and business-school types, this annoying gobbledygook has mesmerized the rank and file around the globe. The next time you feel the need to reach out, touch base, shift a paradigm, leverage a best practice or join a tiger team, by all means do it. Just don’t say you’re doing it. If you have to ask why, chances are you’ve fallen under the poisonous spell of business jargon. Jargon masks real meaning. The Most Annoying, Pretentious And Useless Business Jargon article has a cache of expressions to assiduously avoid (if you look out you will see those used way too many times in business documents and press releases).
Is Innovation the Most Abused Word In Business? article tells that most of what is called innovation today is mere distraction, according to a paper by economist Robert Gordon. Innovation is the most abused word in tech. The iPad is about as innovative as the toaster. You can still read books without an iPad, and you can still toast bread without a toaster. True innovation radically alters the way we interact with the world. But in tech, every little thing is called “innovative.” If you were to believe business grads then “innovation” includes their “ideas” along the lines of “a website like *only better*” or “that thing which everyone is already doing but which I think is my neat new idea” Whether or not the word “innovation” has become the most abused word in the business context, that remains to be seen. “Innovation” itself has already been abused by the patent trolls.
Using stories to catch ‘smart-talk’ article tells that smart-talk is information without understanding, theory without practice – ‘all mouth and no trousers’, as the old aphorism puts it. It’s all too common amongst would-be ‘experts’ – and likewise amongst ‘rising stars’ in management and elsewhere. He looks the part; he knows all the right buzzwords; he can quote chapter-and-verse from all the best-known pundits and practitioners. But is it all just empty ‘smart-talk’? Even if unintentional on their part, people who indulge in smart-talk can be genuinely dangerous. They’ll seem plausible enough at first, but in reality they’ll often know just enough to get everyone into real trouble, but not enough to get out of it again. Smart-talk is the bane of most business – and probably of most communities too. So what can we do to catch it?
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Tomi Engdahl says:
4 Resume Fixes That’ll Make You Way More Popular With Recruiters
https://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2016/04/20/4-resume-fixes-thatll-make-you-way-more-popular-with-recruiters/
It’s well documented that people only spend about six seconds looking at each resume they receive. Fortunately, there are also tons of great articles dedicated to making the most out of those six seconds.
Even more fortunately, I’m going to give you the inside scoop from the perspective of a six-second recruiter.
Ultimately, a recruiter is only as good as the candidates she’s able to find. So, when she looks at your resume, she wants to see results, achievements and key selling points. In other words, she wants to find applicants who will make her look good, who will prove an asset to the company.
1. Does My Resume Make It Easy For Recruiters To Sell My Experience And Achievements?
2. Does My Content Tell A Compelling Story Of My Amazing Accomplishments?
3. Have I Included Tangible Metrics To Help Illustrate My Successes?
4. Is It Easy To Spot My Key Achievements?
Resumes that highlight specific, meaty stats are the ones that catch my attention when I’m scrolling through hundreds of applications. Few things are more meaningful to a person reviewing these materials than featured results, numbers and key accomplishments.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How To Make A 6-Figure Passive Income By Working Smarter (Not Harder)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/celinnedacosta/2019/06/30/how-to-make-a-6-figure-passive-income-by-working-smarter-not-harder/
Tomi Engdahl says:
10 Communication Secrets Of Great Leaders
https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemyatt/2012/04/04/10-communication-secrets-of-great-leaders/
Tomi Engdahl says:
What Leaders Never Do In Networking Intros (And You Shouldn’t Either)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/averyblank/2016/10/12/what-leaders-never-do-in-networking-intros-and-you-shouldnt-either/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kamu peer support – Psychologically safe goal setting
https://www.nitor.com/en/news-and-blogs/kamu-peer-support-psychologically-safe-goal-setting
Tomi Engdahl says:
How To Get An Amazing Job Without Much Experience
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonyoushaei/2017/11/08/how-to-get-an-amazing-job-without-much-experience/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kun väität olevasi johtava, se pitää pystyä todistamaan
https://janiaaltonen.net/2019/07/09/kun-vaitat-olevasi-johtava-se-pitaa-pystya-todistamaan/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jos ketteryys ei ole kulttuurissa, niin sitä ei ole
https://www.nitor.com/fi/uutiset-ja-blogi/jos-ketteryys-ei-ole-kulttuurissa-niin-sita-ei-ole
Tomi Engdahl says:
How To Ask Questions And Look Smart At Your Next Meeting
https://www.forbes.com/sites/averyblank/2016/12/28/how-to-ask-questions-and-look-smart-at-your-next-meeting/
Tomi Engdahl says:
How To Balance Your Personal And Professional Lives
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhall/2019/07/14/how-to-balance-your-personal-and-professional-lives/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why We All Need To Work Two Jobs
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucekasanoff/2017/03/24/why-we-all-need-to-work-two-jobs/
Your first job is to help other people. Your second is your actual job. The better you are at no. 1, the easier no. 2 becomes.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Fed chairman says the relationship between inflation and unemployment is gone
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/11/the-fed-chairman-says-the-relationship-between-inflation-and-unemployment-is-gone.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
5 Steps To Take Now If You’re In A Toxic Workplace
https://www.forbes.com/sites/emiliearies/2017/03/09/5-steps-to-take-now-if-youre-in-a-toxic-workplace/
Tomi Engdahl says:
6 Surprising Downsides Of Being Extremely Intelligent
https://www.businessinsider.com/downsides-of-being-smart-2016-7?r=US&IR=T
Tomi Engdahl says:
Responding To, ‘So, Tell Me About Yourself’
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysullivan/2017/02/02/responding-to-so-tell-me-about-yourself/
Tomi Engdahl says:
5 Surefire Ways To Boost Your Confidence After It’s Been Crushed
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2016/09/03/5-surefire-ways-to-boost-your-confidence-after-its-been-crushed/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The 2 Things You Absolutely Must Do Before You Quit A Job You Hate
https://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2016/09/01/the-2-things-you-absolutely-must-do-before-you-quit-a-job-you-hate/
Tomi Engdahl says:
7 Skills That Are Hard To Learn But Pay Off Forever
https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2016/11/01/7-skills-that-are-hard-to-learn-but-payoff-forever/
Tomi Engdahl says:
8 Bad Mistakes That Make Good Employees Leave
https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2016/09/07/8-bad-mistakes-that-make-good-employees-leave/
When you lose good employees, they don’t disengage all at once. Instead, their interest in their jobs slowly dissipates. Michael Kibler, who has spent much of his career studying this phenomenon, refers to it as brownout. Like dying stars, star employees slowly lose their fire for their jobs.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Imposter Syndrome At Work May Lead To Dissatisfaction At Home
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2019/07/12/imposter-syndrome-at-work-may-lead-to-dissatisfaction-at-home
Being a perfectionist can take its toll, particularly on mental and emotional health, as many people can attest. The closely related “imposter syndrome,” in which a person feels as if he/she doesn’t really deserve to be in a current work role, also seems to chip away at satisfaction—but not just at work.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why You’re Not Getting Promoted: 4 Career Growth Mistakes
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2016/12/01/why-youre-not-getting-promoted-4-career-growth-mistakes/
Tomi Engdahl says:
6 Things You Should Never Say In A Job Interview
https://www.forbes.com/sites/elanagross/2016/09/21/never-say-in-a-job-interview/
Tomi Engdahl says:
How To Make Money When Someone Wants To ‘Pick Your Brain’
https://www.forbes.com/sites/averyblank/2017/01/10/how-to-make-money-when-someone-wants-to-pick-your-brain/
A lot of people want something for nothing. How many times has someone asked you if they could “pick your brain” or mentioned that they want to collaborate with you? What does “collaborate” even mean? Many times they want your expertise for free.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ten Habits Of Incredibly Happy People
https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2017/02/14/ten-habits-of-incredibly-happy-people/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why The 8-Hour Workday Doesn’t Work
https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2016/06/07/why-the-8-hour-workday-doesnt-work/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Which types of startups are most often profitable?
https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/08/which-types-of-startups-are-most-often-profitable/
One answer: E-commerce, Chrome extensions, mobile apps, enterprise SaaS, SMB SaaS — in that order
Tomi Engdahl says:
Don’t Take That New Job Unless the Company’s Culture Passes These 5 Tests
https://www.inc.com/peter-cohan/ask-these-5-questions-to-save-yourself-from-joining-a-toxic-company.html
If you’re switching jobs, make sure your new employer doesn’t have a broken culture. Here’s how.
Tomi Engdahl says:
What It Takes To Be A Great Employee: The Parable Of The Oranges
https://www.forbes.com/sites/amyanderson/2016/05/22/what-it-takes-to-be-a-great-employee-the-parable-of-the-oranges/
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Goal-Setting System I Learned From Google (And Still Use At My Current Venture)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/karlsun/2017/05/16/the-idea-i-stole-from-google-or-how-i-learned-to-love-okrs/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Don’t blame flawed Silicon Valley for the rot of Wall Street and Washington
https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/14/dont-blame-flawed-silicon-valley-for-the-rot-of-wall-street-and-washington/
Tomi Engdahl says:
11 Things Smart People Won’t Say At Work
https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2015/09/02/11-things-smart-people-wont-say/
There are some things you simply never want to say at work.
These phrases carry special power: they have an uncanny ability to make you look bad even when the words are true.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2016/01/05/11-signs-you-have-the-grit-you-need-to-succeed/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bruceupbin/2013/03/27/the-art-of-the-email-introduction-10-rules-for-emailing-busy-people/?utm_source=FACEBOOK&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Malorie/#d8c87647f7b3
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Visual History of the Largest Companies by Market Cap (1999-Today)
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/a-visual-history-of-the-largest-companies-by-market-cap-1999-today/
Tomi Engdahl says:
In some organizations, “digital transformation” has become the ultimate set of dirty words. It makes some leaders cringe and others spit fire. Why is this happening – and how can you speak on this topic without getting burned? https://red.ht/2LsloOA
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/georgenehuang/2017/07/16/dont-start-your-job-search-without-this-checklist/?utm_source=FACEBOOK&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Malorie/#6baf0c7f2313
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaroepe/2017/01/10/how-to-plan-your-workweek-in-4-steps/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaquast/2017/03/06/why-grit-is-more-important-than-iq-when-youre-trying-to-become-successful/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why people love to hate “digital transformation”
https://enterprisersproject.com/article/2019/7/digital-transformation-term-backlash
In some organizations, “digital transformation” has become the ultimate set of dirty words. It makes some leaders cringe and others spit fire. Why is this happening – and how can you speak on this topic without getting burned?
Tomi Engdahl says:
VALA’S VALUES EXPLAINED THROUGH EXAMPLES
https://www.valagroup.com/2019/07/valas-values-explained-through-examples/
How do company values actually affect daily work life?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why Communications Skills Are Critical To Engineers
https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-institute/ieee-member-news/why-communications-skills-are-critical-to-engineers
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://blogzdepartmentz.me/7-hard-truths-about-digital-transformation/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Work-Life Checks And Balances
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jessicahagy/2017/02/21/work-life-checks-and-balances/
Work-life balance is a term thrown around with this implicit understanding: it’s up to individuals to keep their own seesaws of life smoothly bouncing. It’s up to you (nobody else cares, so don’t ask) to retain complete, impressive composure no matter what monstrously impossible things are demanded of you. Obviously: those expectations are brutally unfair. Preposterous. Insidious. And all of those precariously balanced, overburdened seesaws? They will snap in half.
Tomi Engdahl says:
7 tips for avoiding burnout
https://www.redhat.com/sysadmin/tips-avoiding-burnout
Burnout can be a huge problem in high-intensity careers like system administration. Here’s how to recognize when it’s happening to you and others, along with what to do in order to recover and avoid the problem in the future.
Tomi Engdahl says:
What “Social Good” Means to Engineers
https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-institute/ieee-products-services/what-social-good-means-to-engineers
Many engineers want to apply their skills to help improve their communities and the wider world. But sorting out how best to do that can be challenging.
The three panelists addressed the role of engineers in helping developing countries and discussed ways to improve communities, both locally and internationally. They also examined something more fundamental: what it means for an effort to be a “social good.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Creating a sense of urgency: How to deal with critics during change
https://enterprisersproject.com/article/2019/7/how-create-sense-urgency-deal-critics
When you strive to create a sense of urgency around a project or goal, you need to confront the critics. Use these six strategies
Tomi Engdahl says:
Näin selität pomollesi viisi kuumaa teknologiatrendiä
https://www.dna.fi/yrityksille/blogi/-/blogs/nain-selitat-pomollesi-viisi-kuumaa-teknologiatrendia?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=linkad&utm_content=artikkeli_nain_selitat_pomollesi_viisi_kuumaa_teknologiatrendia&utm_campaign=pk_jatkuva_some_19
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/world-map-of-religions
Tomi Engdahl says:
Company spending: why the way we pay for things at work is broken
https://blog.spendesk.com/en/company-spending?utm_campaign=EN+Blog+Promo&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=paid&hsa_src=fb&hsa_ver=3&hsa_cam=6138969343549&hsa_net=facebook&hsa_grp=6138969349749&hsa_ad=6138969354349&hsa_acc=928402713934811
most businesses’ expense management processes are still stuck in the 19th Century. Storing paper receipts, stacking reimbursement forms for managers and finance to review and approve, waiting four to eight weeks for reimbursement: it’s all a huge drag.
In this post, we’ll show you how your expense management processes are broken – even if you don’t know it. We’ll focus on three main problem areas:
Expense claims
Company credit cards
Supplier invoices
Tomi Engdahl says:
What happened to the sharing economy?
https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/31/what-happened-to-the-sharing-economy/?tpcc=ECFB2019
A generation of startups now look more like the traditional companies they were disrupting