I was just browsing through my RSS Reader and bumped on to this particular post on BNET blog. I was bowled over by this simple yet to-the-point article which lists TOP 10 jargons commonly used in business circles. These are the terms you’ll often come across in the dicussions of managers, corporate honchos, business leaders. In fact, wannabe MBA’s also speak this language, though their knowledge remains a mystery!!

1. Constructive confrontation. Defined and promoted by Andy Grove of Intel to get people to resolve issues and conflict without taking it personally: attack the problem, not the person.
2. Goal alignment. One of the most critical and useful management tools for operational efficiency across organizational boundaries.
3. Zero-based budgeting. A method of budgeting by prioritizing and justifying projects based on projected expense and return-on-investment.
4. Strategic planning. A critical process for determining a company’s future direction, including its key goals, strategies for achieving them, and business plans.
5. Value proposition. What differentiates your company, products or services from the competition. An important corporate or product positioning tool.
6. One-on-one. Another management tool from Intel. Periodic one-on-ones keep peers aligned and tuned into each other’s issues; same goes for employee-boss, etc.
7. Plan of record. Sometimes a name makes all the difference. Agree on a plan, record or document it, make sure everybody’s there to change it. Eliminates plan du jour.
8. Meeting etiquette. Meetings suck. To make them suck less, you have meeting etiquette: they start on time and end on time, everybody has a reason for being there or they shouldn’t (be there), etc.
9. What’s in it for me? Whoever you’re trying to negotiate with or sell to, internally or externally, put yourself in their shoes and ask WIIFM. It’s a powerful tool.
10. Negatron. A personal favorite – a person who finds the fly in every glob of ointment and never misses an opportunity to point it out. Also avoids cursing, as in, “Don’t be a negatron!”

I am sure by this time you’d have already started scratching your heads for the jargons that are not listed here. Do leave a comment here with the jargon (commonly used, or your very own) and I will include it in the list – with your name!