Ridiculous workplace phrases that have to go

That guy dozing off at the far end of the conference table, he definitely knows what's going on the moment you open your mouth. You stick out like an empty Dhaka street on a weekend. Of course you forgot to do your research on the topic. Maybe you have no opinion to give on the issue. So you drop words like 'synergy' and 'leverage' while all you can think about is when the damn tea will be served. Dropping ambiguous words to form barely coherent sentences to confound the teachers is a rite of passage. So it is no wonder that even in the workplace we reach for these pet phrases every time we are at a loss for words.

Out of the box

Who are you kidding? It meant something when Steve Jobs said Think Different when he was revolutionising the tech industry. Not so much when the idea you are about to propose about the new social media marketing strategy is something you read about the other day on Wired. Instead be humble, talk about where you saw it produce good results. Even if it's something completely original, it sounds less cheesy if you say "This has not been done before but..."

Lock/seal the deal

You just managed to finalise the deal with that client your company wanted. You are ecstatic, run into the boss's room and proclaim for all to hear, "Boss, deal ta lock kore felsi" (Boss, I just sealed the deal). While the translation seems innocuous enough, the pidgin Bangla is relevant for us. It makes you sound uneducated for starters. The deal may be important but you don't want to show to your bosses you just did them a favour when in reality you just did your job.

I don't get paid to do this

Very few jobs stick to the stated job descriptions. And while you should not be expected to take care of the elevator maintenance when you have been hired to serve the coffee, washing the coffee cups afterwards is actually expected. So stop saying this aloud, in front of colleagues and definitely your boss. You just come off as complaining and incompetent.

I may be wrong but...

How condescending can you get? Of course you don't think you are wrong. If you do then you come off as passive aggressive or worse, not confident about what you want to say. Assert your opinion and ask for criticism or feedback instead.

And if you still can't rein in your mouth, you should invest your efforts and synergise to differentiate a value strategy to achieve transformational change.