Disrupted, Unburdened, Word Salad

2025 Can't Come Fast Enough...

2024 is ending and hopefully with it are some of the insane words and expressions that plagued us all.

As a growth/turnaround consultant and transformational CEO, especially one focused on cutting through BS and corporate jargon and delivering actionable outcomes, here's my list of the 25 most played-out words and expressions from 2024.

I think the "finance bros in the Patagonia vests" have a secret factory where they turn out this crap - a couple of years back if I heard the phrase "frothy valuation" or "noodle it" one more time my head was going to explode.

Here goes:

1. Disrupt

• Why it’s overused: Originally used to describe ground-breaking innovation, now it's often over-applied to products or services that aren't truly transformative.
• Why it’s a turnoff: It’s become a buzzword that can mean "different" or "new," but not necessarily impactful.

2. Word Salad

• Why it’s overused: A critique of convoluted, jargon-heavy language that doesn’t communicate clearly.
• Why it’s a turnoff: Used to dismiss overly complex, empty corporate speak that sounds impressive but lacks clarity. (It's also associated with a particular political candidate who shall remain nameless and soon, jobless.)

3. Unburdened

• Why it’s overused: Typically used to suggest freedom from constraints or limitations.
• Why it’s a turnoff: Can sound pretentious or vague, especially when used in contexts where it doesn’t truly apply. (yup, her again)

4. Cohort

• Why it’s overused: Frequently used in data analysis or user segmentation to describe groups of people.
• Why it’s a turnoff: It can come across as clinical or impersonal when describing customers or employees.

5. Curated

• Why it’s overused: A word once associated with thoughtfully selected collections, now overused in marketing and retail.
• Why it’s a turnoff: It's often applied to something ordinary, giving the illusion of exclusivity or care that’s not there. Sorry but slip joint pliers and ham sandwiches aren't "curated." Neither is an assortment of sweaters.

6. Leverage

• Why it’s overused: Used to describe maximizing value from resources or relationships.
• Why it’s a turnoff: It's vague and often used as a catch-all, with little direction or specifics on how leverage will be applied. I'm using leverage here to lever up this argument.

7. Synergy

• Why it’s overused: Widely used to describe how combined efforts will create greater value, often in mergers or partnerships.
• Why it’s a turnoff: It sounds like empty corporate speak without real evidence of the supposed benefits. Seems synergistic enough.

8. Innovation

• Why it’s overused: A catch-all term for any new product, feature, or change, often applied to things that are merely incremental.
• Why it’s a turnoff: It’s often used to justify minor improvements or rebranded concepts, diluting its real meaning. (Gotta be honest, I do like this word).

9. DisruptION

• Why it’s overused: Originally meant to describe a fundamental change in an industry, it’s now used to hype up anything that deviates from the norm. Just as with "disrupt" above, this deserves it's own callout.
• Why it’s a turnoff: The term is used so frequently that it no longer feels impactful or meaningful. it's literally disrupted itself.

10. Authentic

• Why it’s overused: Brands and leaders often use this term to claim they are real or genuine, but it’s become an overused buzzword.
• Why it’s a turnoff: When used too frequently, it sounds like a marketing tactic rather than a core principle. Authentic makes me feel somewhat curated.

11. Scalable

• Why it’s overused: Often used to describe business models or technologies that are capable of growing.
• Why it’s a turnoff: It's used as a catchphrase for growth potential without acknowledging the complexities and work needed to scale effectively. This list was scaled quickly from 10 to 25.

12. Holistic

• Why it’s overused: Describes an all-encompassing approach, but is frequently used to cover lack of focus or specificity.
• Why it’s a turnoff: Often feels like jargon, adding complexity without real insight or specificity.

13. Pivot

• Why it’s overused: Used to describe sudden changes in business strategy or direction.
• Why it’s a turnoff: When overused, it can suggest a lack of focus, consistency, or long-term strategy.

14. Agile

• Why it’s overused: A term for iterative development and flexible strategies, often co-opted to sound modern or adaptive.
• Why it’s a turnoff: It’s frequently used by companies that haven’t fully adopted agile practices, rendering the term hollow.

15. Customer-Centric

• Why it’s overused: Used to describe a business or service that prioritizes customer needs and experiences.
• Why it’s a turnoff: It's often used as a buzzword without evidence of real customer-first actions.

16. Next-Gen

• Why it’s overused: Typically applied to new versions of products or technologies.
• Why it’s a turnoff: Often used as a marketing tactic for minor upgrades or changes that don’t warrant the hype.

17. Value-Add

• Why it’s overused: Used to describe any additional feature or service that "adds value."
• Why it’s a turnoff: It’s a catch-all term that rarely delivers concrete examples of value, often masking mediocre offerings.

18. Seamless

• Why it’s overused: Used to describe processes or experiences that are smooth and effortless.
• Why it’s a turnoff: Often overused in contexts where processes are far from smooth, or require substantial work behind the scenes.

19. Game-Changing

• Why it’s overused: Used to describe products or ideas that are supposedly revolutionary.
• Why it’s a turnoff: It's frequently applied to things that are only incremental improvements or rebrands of existing concepts.

20. Empower

• Why it’s overused: Often used in leadership, HR, or marketing to imply giving others control or strength.
• Why it’s a turnoff: When overused without specific actions to back it up, it can feel like a hollow promise.

21. Optimized

• Why it’s overused: Refers to something being made more efficient or effective.
• Why it’s a turnoff: It’s often thrown around without any real evidence of improvement or actual optimization.

22. Influencer

• Why it’s overused: Used to describe people who wield social influence, particularly in marketing and branding.
• Why it’s a turnoff: The term has become over-commercialized, making it less authentic and more about marketing manipulation.

23. Bespoke

• Why it’s overused: Once used to describe custom-tailored products or services, now it’s thrown around as a marketing term for anything that’s personalized.
• Why it’s a turnoff: It often doesn't represent true customization and is used to elevate an otherwise standard offering. My grandfather had his tailor, Giuseppe Ascoli, once make him a custom suit. It wasn't bespoke then. It was a suit.

24. Buzzword Bingo

• Why it’s overused: Used to describe a situation where a conversation or meeting is full of trendy, meaningless jargon.
• Why it’s a turnoff: It’s a quick way to dismiss superficial communication and jargon-heavy discussions that lack real substance. Buzzword bingo is in fact, an overused buzzphrase.

25. DEI Hire

• Why it’s overused: Refers to hiring someone for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) reasons, sometimes implying tokenism. (Duh.)
• Why it’s a turnoff: When used without a real commitment to DEI principles, it can feel like a superficial or performative gesture rather than part of a deeper organizational change; besides, many organizations have suffered fools and suffered DEI hires, figuring out that "fake it till you make it" is always BS.

I'd love to hear your suggestions and recipes for word salad...

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Paul Fioravanti, MBA, MPA, CTP, is the CEO & Managing Partner of QORVAL Partners, LLC, a FL-based advisory firm (founded 1996 by Jim Malone, six-time Fortune 100/500 CEO) Qorval is a US-based turnaround, restructuring, business optimization and interim management firm. Fioravanti is a proven turnaround CEO with experience in more than 90 situations in more than 40 industries. He earned his MBA and MPA from the University of Rhode Island and completed advanced post-master’s research in finance and marketing at Bryant University. He is a Certified Turnaround Professional and member of the Turnaround Management Association, the Private Directors Association, Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), Association of Merger & Acquisition Advisors (AM&MA), the American Bankruptcy Institute, and IMCUSA. Copyright 2024, Qorval Partners LLC and/or Paul Fioravanti, MBA, MPA, CTP. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution without permission.?

www.qorval.com

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