I am back

Ok, I am guilty; I have not posted an entry (excluding twitters) on my blog since January 4th. While I have no excuse for the lack of postings, my first quarter both business and professionally was fast paced, filled with difficult decisions and was focused on moving forward.

As I look back since my last post, corporations in the first quarter had to make business decisions based on market factors that were affecting their business. Being a business news junkie, I found myself reading stories about the recession being the predominant theme repeatedly in the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Bloomberg.com. While the stories are relatively the same, capital reductions, workforce reductions and cost containment, I found the overall messaging to be consistent. Statements like "live within our means", "right size for business conditions" and "making tough business decisions" are a few of the phrases that were embedded in every article.

While I am in now way am I making light of the serious conditions we are currently facing, I thought over the next few blog posts, I would list my favorite "Business Speak/Phrases and Definitions" that are commonly used. Some of the following I find myself of using (actually overusing), some I made up, and some are just funny.

Please feel free to add to this list.

Deck: word for a PowerPoint presentation.

"Please send me a copy of the most up-to-date deck before the meeting"


Administrivia: trivial tasks/items that everyone has to do even though you personally do not see the value.

"Sorry, I can't help you right now, I am up to my neck in administrivia"


Ego surfing: Searching the web (Google and Yahoo) for references to yourself.

When you are done ego surfing, could you join us for the meeting you arranged"


Multi-slacker: employee who can perform many unproductive tasks at the same time -phone conversations, instant messaging, and web surfing on company time

"Jonathan should be proud, he is the best multi-slacker I have ever seen"


Irregardless: merger of regardless and irrespective

I can't even use this one in a sentence because it is NOT a real word.