VOLUME 37, ISSUE 2
Russell K. McAllister, M.D., FASA
TSA Secretary and Editor-in-Chief
Chair-Baylor Scott & White Health-Central Division
Professor of Anesthesiology-Baylor College of Medicine-Temple
Temple, TX
Corporate Buzzwords and Their Actual Meanings
When we attended medical school, there was not a business or administrative component that taught us how to successfully interact with administrators that we will inevitably come into contact with during our career. Over the past several years, I have noticed that people who are educated in the administrative world often speak a language that is very different from what we learned in medical school and anesthesiology residency. With that in mind, I have been collecting some terminology that I think will assist those who may encounter non-medical
administrators in their daily routines. Being familiar with this new terminology will give you an advantage when you attend meetings or conference calls, so that you are not lost when they use their common verbiage. This terminology feels completely normal to them, and soon, it will for you too.
I share with you some of my favorite terms that I have heard with an explanation that follows to help you understand their meaning. I hope that you enjoy this lighthearted collection.
Circle back-The speaker of this phrase does not know the answer to your inquiry and wishes to avoid conflict or embarrassment. This means that they will talk to you about it later, when no one else is around. They secretly hope that you forget to ask about it again.
Lean into-This is a term that is used when the speaker is out of ideas for ways to express that they like something and intend to rely on it more heavily. If it is used more than three times in one meeting, I suggest you lean into the exit door and get out of that meeting.
Line of sight-This is a term that speakers will use to describe something that they have no intention of doing anything about, but want you to know that they won’t forget about the topic. They will keep a “line of sight” on the issue. Expect nothing to be done about the issue.
Pivot-This term is what is used when describing how disastrous first attempts at solving a problem were, which eventually led to a change of course. The “pivot” allows the speaker to describe the course change as a positive outcome of what was likely a disaster.
Granular-This term means the speaker is going to look at very specific details of an issue before they finally admit they do not know the answer. See also “deep dive.
Levers we can pull-This terminology means that there are several potential ways to solve your seemingly unsolvable problem. Expect those levers to never actually be pulled.
Synergy-We learned in biology that this means the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In meeting terminology, this word means, “I think we can work together so I can potentially steal your ideas.” Then I will name my consulting firm “Synergy” and charge you $100,000 to hear me read your ideas back to you.
Bandwidth-In physics, we learned that bandwidth is the range of frequencies that a signal or system can handle. In meetings, it is a way of saying, “I don’t have time to help you with your problem.
Deep dive-This is a way for the speaker to let their audience know that they will be on this subject for an uncomfortably long time, so the meeting participants should “buckle in.” If the speaker makes an assignment to a member stating that they need to do a “deep dive” into a subject and report back later, rest assured that you have made them mad and they are punishing you.
Boots on the ground-This term, reimagined from its military applications, means the people doing the work, which most often do not include the people in the meeting.
Alignment-This is a way for the speaker to make sure that everyone understands that they must conform to the speaker’s way of thinking.
Take it off line-A speaker may use this phrase to redirect an irrelevant rabbit hole discussion that someone has decided to explore. Also used to bring an end to squabbles among meeting attendees.
Move the needle-The speaker generally uses this phrase in the negative connotation of a failure to make adifference. This is a gentle way to tell someone that their idea is not significant and will not be considered further.
Table this –This is a way for the speaker to tell someone to stop talking without sounding rude. Often accompanies a promise to “circle back.” Often used as a synonym for “Take it off line.”
Let’s unpack that-This is a way for the speaker to tell someone “What did you just say?” or more often, I can’t believe you just said that.
Glide path-The speaker who uses this term usually means they are done doing anything on a project and theywill just see what happens next.
On a go forward basis-The speaker generally is saying, I don’t want to hear complaints about what has already happened. It is another way of saying, “Will you please just get over it” for people who care nothing for grammar or syntax.
Juice is not worth the squeeze-This term implies something is a waste of time. Similar to “rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Leading indicators-These are metrics that you are about to really mess up
Lagging indicators-These are metrics that you just finished really messing up.
Thanks for indulging me by reading my satirical list. Please realize, it is intended for comic relief and is intended to be good natured satire. However, with all good comedy, an element of truth is essential. I hope you enjoyed this light-hearted examination of corporate buzzwords that have made it into hospital board rooms. If you have others that you would like to share, please feel free to send them to me.
