10 Buzzwords to Avoid as a CEO if You Want Your Team to Thrive
The words you’re saying as a CEO can make or break your company’s success.?
What you say and how you say it can have a huge effect on your team’s:?
Using popular and often annoying corporate buzzwords stands in the way of your precise, clear, honest, and authentic messaging.?
In a recent survey, LinkedIn and Duolingo found out that 60% of Gen Z and Millennial respondents had made a mistake at work as a direct result of not understanding a buzzword used in the workplace.
We’re breaking down 10 buzzwords that might be confusing your team or taking away from the importance of your message. Avoid these at any cost and replace them with a clearer alternative we’ll offer below.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
#1 Fast-paced environment?
According to a survey by Preply , this is one of the most annoying buzzwords to see in a job post, positioned right after the most dreaded phrase you can think of in this context — “Like a family.”?
Why should you avoid this buzzword?
Unfortunately, as we’ve all come to realize, a fast-paced environment is more often than not a hop, skip, and a jump from burnout . This is far from the original meaning of the phrase — a busy, challenging, and exciting setting.?
What to use instead??
Opt for a more authentic phrasing that better resonates with your values and offers a more realistic and humane perspective about the position and the overall work environment in your company. For example, you can say that you “Pride yourself on your efficiency” or that your company is “constantly growing.”??
#2 New normal?
Officially one of the most common buzzwords during the COVID-19 pandemic, the “New normal” was reintroduced in 2020 to describe how the pandemic transformed our workplaces, among (all) other areas of our lives.
Why should you avoid this buzzword????
In addition to being extremely overused and offering no real value whatsoever, the phrase doesn’t imply a clear metric, even though it has a somewhat permanent character.?
What to use instead??
To introduce some optimism and inspire your team to view these changes as temporary setbacks that lead to a brighter future, try to avoid this phrase altogether. Alternatively, you can use something more neutral, such as “New (temporary) circumstances.”???
#3 Circle back
If you’re doing a lot of “Circling back” as a CEO in your meetings, it might be time to put this common meeting phrase to rest.?
Why should you avoid this buzzword?
Suggesting to “circle back” to a topic often comes off as an insincere attempt to politely dismiss someone's idea. Of course, it is completely counterproductive, as the other person is often left feeling disrespected and excluded. Moreover, too many “circlebacks” can turn entire meetings into pointless and unproductive time wasters for everyone involved.?
What to use instead?
To avoid using this infamous phrase, next time try replacing it with something more sincere and less vague. For example, you can say something along the lines of “Let’s discuss this in more detail on another call on [date].”?
#4 Synergy?
On top of being one of the most overused business catchphrases, “Synergy” also tops one of the lists of least favorite business jargon terms.
Why should you avoid this buzzword??
Like with most of these frequently used buzzwords on the list, using “synergy” unironically sounds irritating, especially coming from a CEO. You know better than to slap a vague and downright cringey phrase in place of genuine inspirational and motivational words for your team.
What to use instead???
A “successful interaction,” “collaboration ,” or “teamwork ” are far better alternatives in most contexts, as they communicate more precise meaning and are thus far more effective.?
#5 Low-hanging fruit?
If you catch yourself reminding your team they should “Pick the low-hanging fruit first,” you might want to rethink your approach to team communication as a CEO .
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Why should you avoid this buzzword?
In addition to the apparent overexposure, “low-hanging fruit” might be ripe for retirement, given it’s been part of the corporate jargon for a couple of decades.?
What to use instead?
Luckily, there are plenty of more accurate and less cliché alternatives, including “easily accomplished work,” “quick win,” or “no-brainer.”?????
#6 Giving 110 percent?
“Giving 110 percent” is another example of a motivational phrase gone wrong. In fact, a 2021 survey revealed that 59% of respondents find the phrase annoying or particularly annoying.
Why should you avoid this buzzword?
As a CEO, we suggest you steer away from this phrase altogether, as it’s taken on the opposite meaning than originally intended. You may want to use it to motivate and inspire your team to do their best. However, more often than not, it comes across as if you’re pushing them past their limits.?
What to use instead?
If you want to genuinely encourage your team members to perform to capacity, a simple “We can do this,” “Let’s do our best,” and an occasional recognition of your employees’ efforts will have a much more powerful effect.???
#7 Let’s table this
“Let’s table this” is high on the list of the most annoying corporate phrases people hate to hear during meeting discussions, according to the already mentioned Preply’s survey.?
Why should you avoid this buzzword?
For one, it’s fairly overused and borderline annoying. More importantly, saying you’re tabling a discussion often means it’s postponed indefinitely, which gives no clear explanation or a precise future plan.?
What to use instead??
To be more transparent and clear in your communication as a CEO, try replacing this phrase with something more precise, such as “Let’s talk about this at our next team meeting on [date].”???????
#8 Put a pin in it?
You’re running a meeting, and a discussion on a single topic is going way over the allotted time, so you decide to chime in with a “Let’s put a pin in it, and come back to it later.”?
Why should you avoid this buzzword?
Although it may seem fairly reasonable to suggest resuming a conversation later on, this phrase also carries a negative connotation. It often implies you want to postpone the discussion hoping people would eventually forget about it or give up.?
What to use instead?
A good rule of thumb when deciding how to communicate with your team as a CEO, in general, is to try to replace any vague buzzwords with clearer and more precise wording. In this case, it’s much more reasonable to keep it simple and choose something along the lines of “Let’s pause and come back to this idea after lunch.”??????
#9 Reinvent the wheel?
Most often, if you’re “Reinventing the wheel,” you’re looking for another, improved way of doing something for which there is already a process in place. It implies a considerable amount of time has been wasted.?
Why should you avoid this buzzword?
In addition to being one of the top 10 most annoying buzzwords according to a survey we mentioned earlier, this buzzword has been beaten to death by corporate lingo. ?
What to use instead?
There’s hardly ever a justified reason to use this phrase, especially as a CEO who values respectful communication and is familiar with all the key ongoing processes and methods in the organization.???
#10 Pivot?
Judging by the popularity of this buzzword, it seems like all any company in the world has done over the last 3 years since the pandemic broke is — pivot.?
Why should you avoid this buzzword?
While the epic scene from Friends perfectly defines the general meaning of the term, in the business world, the word “pivot” has taken on a life of its own, becoming increasingly commonplace for all sorts of changes in the direction of a company.?
What to use instead?
Opt for “Adopting a new strategy” if you want to avoid vague buzzword terms and model clearer and more honest team communication .?
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