Management Lingo

A collection of vocabulary from corporate America

Every social group has a common vocabulary that binds it together and identifies members of the pack. Corporate America seems to have its own version of this with the most generic and meaningless of these phrases belonging to the lowliest and most self-important members of its ranks. It should be noted that this vocabulary is usually used to obfuscate a lack of competence, so here’s a list of words and phrases that will help you spot the next empty suit at your job:

1. Touch base
2. Flesh it out
3. It’s in my wheelhouse
4. It’s on my radar
5. Low hanging fruit
6. Think outside the box
7. Positive momentum
8. On my plate
9. Run the numbers
10. Touch points
11. Get the ball rolling
12. Bang for your buck
13. Close the deal
14. When the rubber hits the road
15. Shift paradigm
16. Move the needle
17. Game-changing
18. Move the goal post
19. Value added
20. Win-win
21. All hands on deck
22. “Too many cooks in the kitchen”
23. Synergy
24. “Snackable”
25. Pump the breaks
26. Ceasefire
27. Distro
28. Bandwidth
29. War Room
30. In the loop
31. H/T
32. Switch Gears
33. “Die on this hill’

For a bonus round, count up how many times you hear these at work. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, add to the list in the comments.