After reading Yahoo! CEO Carol Bartz internal email tonight, my resolution to refuse to magnetic pull to use buzz words is stronger than ever. Buzz words in corporate America are like the friend that shows up to your parties, in spite of everyone attending agreeing beforehand he wasn’t invited. Buzz words tear down trust. Buzz words reduce credibility. Buzz words are great for job interviews and impressing your girlfriend’s father, but not running companies.
Carol Bartz generally seems to have a no nonsense attitude (which I really appreciate), but not this time. Here are a couple of the gems from the email:
“We’re taking this opportunity to double down on these efforts.” Translation: “Everyone has been slacking off the last few days. Get back to work.”
“Hilary’s successor will be maniacally focused on growing our top line in the region.” Translation: “We’ve got no one to replace her and I’m kind of scared.”
“So everyone stay calm–we have a good plan in place.” Translation: “I’m as panicked as you are. Start beefing up your LinkedIn profile.”
“In fact, I’m more fired up than ever and can roll with the punches. Translation: “This is the lowest point in my career.”