Brett Nelson

• Drinking the Kool-Aid: A tasteless reference to the Jonestown Massacre of 1978, this expression means to blindly accept something, such as a company’s mission statement. … Coming up with tactless expressions for it is horrendous.
• Leverage: ‘Leverage’ is mercilessly used to describe how a situation or environment can be manipulated or controlled. Leverage should remain a noun, as in “to apply leverage,” not as a pseudo-verb, as in “we are leveraging our assets.”
• Empower: What someone above your pay grade does when, apparently, they would like you to do a job of some importance. It suggests that ‘You can do a little bit of this, but I’m still in charge here.: I am empowering you’”
• It is What it Is: Thanks. Idiot.
• Open the Kimono: Some people use this instead of ‘revealing information.’ It’s kind of creepy,
• Giving 110%: The nice thing about effort, in terms of measuring it, is that the most you can give is everything, and everything equals 100%. You can’t give more than that.
• Lots of Moving Parts: Pinball machines have lots of moving parts. Many of them buzz and clank and induce migraine headaches.
• Reach Out: Jargon for “let’s set up a meeting” or “let’s contact this person.” Just say that—and … please don’t reach out unless clearly invited.