How to Influence Anyone, Anywhere, Every Time

CHAPTER 15LANGUAGE

Good morning, everyone. We need to make, what I call, a paradigm shift. The landscape has changed. We don't have greenfield options. Our ducks are not lined up in a row. To step up to the plate, we must be willing to play, and play hard. If we are all singing from the same hymn sheet, then we will succeed. The boat doesn't row itself, as we all know. At the end of the day, going forward, I know that every one of you, in your heart of hearts, knows how to put your shoulder to the wheel. We need to approach this strategically. We cannot let sleeping dogs lie. While we cannot boil the ocean, we must move the needle, so synergise, think outside the box, go after the low‐hanging fruit and pivot to success. It's bootstrap time. We can climb this mountain. So, who is with me?

Have you heard this sort of nonsense before? Clichés and corporate speak abound in work communication. All workplaces will have their shorthand. We had a client conduct a global restructure and create a new department called something like Professional Services Delivery, which, naturally, was called PSD. Unfortunately, there was another global function called Product and Solutions Development, also referred to as PSD. Confusion reigned.

Acronyms, jargon, buzzwords and the like can and do come across as bland and dull. It's not that jargon is inherently bad. It is an efficient shorthand within specific groups who share the same context; however, it's important for leaders to be mindful ...