Tag Archives: language

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Are you a “just” person?

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Do you know a person who uses the word “just”?

You may have a boss:  “Could you just do these mods for me?”  But, “just do these mods” turns out to be the whole report with complicated formatting, extensive graphics and incoherent text.  And it’s Friday, four o’clock.

Or the boss might say “We’ll just have to tell them that the date has slipped.”  The date has slipped twice already and your boss is too frightened to contact the client.  “You get on well with them and it will be good for your development.”  Thanks boss.

Partners can be “just” too.  There is the “just” man:  “I’m just taking the dog for a walk,” he says innocently.  What he is really aiming to do is go to the pub, play darts and get to know the new barmaid better.

And the woman may want the man to perform numerous lengthy and arduous tasks.  She introduces the concept by making it sound trivial and easy.  “Could you just put the rubbish out?” she asks.  This means clear the shed, collect the bottles, go to the tip and buy more refuse bags.  Oh, and do the shopping while you are there.

If you are a “just” user, look out for the word and avoid it.

What can you do if you encounter a “just” user?  Simple: just give them some feedback.

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Great motivational speeches: a call to arms

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Let me speak to you in plain English.

Our figures show we have surrendered the high ground in our sales offensive.  Last quarter we were advancing with flying colours on a number of fronts, but we now seem to have drawn our wagons in a tight circle and adopted a laager mentality.

This may come as a bit of a bombshell but, if you managers and your troops don’t hit the target next quarter, people will be getting their marching orders.

If the rank and file don’t stop shooting themselves in the foot, there will be casualties.  Don’t think this is just a warning shot, the knives are out for anyone running for cover.

We’ve ended up sitting on a powder keg waiting to get scalped

The competition is cut throat, the market is a minefield.  But I’ve never fought shy of a battle, I’ve always been first over the top and have the scars to prove it.

You may be scanning the horizon, hoping the cavalry will come over the hill or a knight in shining armour.  Holding the fort and sticking to our guns is not enough.  We’ve ended up sitting on a powder keg waiting to get scalped.

We had a number of customers in our sights and sales were rocketing.  I know some were a long shot, a bit of a stab in the dark, but we were going great guns.

Now what do I find?  Our targets are in danger.  Our competitors have stolen a march on us.  They are calling the shots while we fight a losing battle.  We are in the firing line while our sales staff are at daggers drawn and our prospects decimated.

First of all, we are our own worst enemy.  At the first sign of a battle, a whiff of cordite, our people beat a retreat and we end up looking down the wrong end of a barrel with a knife at our throats.

Secondly, our competitors seem quicker on the draw.   All our troops must throw down the gauntlet and blow them out of the water.   We’ve got to nail our colours to the mast and go for the throat to break their stranglehold.   Sharpen your knives and let them have it with both barrels.

We will advance on all fronts – find a chink in their armour, outflank them before we are holed below the water line and meet our Waterloo.

These are my orders: In this outfit, we are all brothers in arms.  We will close ranks and hit the ground running.  We will gird our loins for the warpath.  We will take no prisoners.  The spoils of victory will be ours.

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“He or she”

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You frequently read or hear sentences such as this:

“When a manager makes a decision, he or she has to consider all the facts.”

This “he or she” (have you ever read “she or he”?) has become the norm of pretend inclusivity.  The writer believes they are parading liberal values and are sending a message of inclusion and harmony.

Yet, the writer is making the exact opposite impact that they are intending to make.  They state that the people of the world are divided into two types: males and females.  Instead of creating a universal connection, they are emphasising a partition.

There has been a healthy and open debate in the UK over the previous two years about gender definition and sexuality.  This debate has challenged the stereotype of humans as being either male or female.

So, if you are broadminded and modern, why stop at only two types of gender identity?  Why not be brave and write:

“When a manager makes a decision, she or he or lesbian or gay or bisexual or transgender or questioning has to consider all the facts”

A second technique employed by authors who wish to parade their liberal attitudes and assert equality, is to switch gender at the start of a chapter or new section.  No, the author does not change gender, I mean the subject they are writing about.

The protagonist – a manager, for example – hitherto masculine, has now changed gender.   This is distracting and irritating.

You hurriedly scan the previous paragraphs, searching for the initial reference to this newly mentioned female.  Have you jumped a page?  Have they undergone an operation or has a miracle occurred?

No, changing the gender of the protagonist is an attempt at inclusion and to provide balance.  Yet, by doing so, they divide the world in two and draw attention to differences – the exact opposite of their original intent.

So, am I going to analyse and criticise, but provide no positive ideas?  Well, how about this:

“When a manager makes a decision, they have to consider all the facts.”