pet peave

[Black wallnut]

Several years ago the company I was working for hired a couple of younger guys one as a terminal manager and one as an operations manager. This was a trucking company. The operations mgr. was not much of a people person. He always used the phrase "reach out" well now that same phrase seems to be a common catch phrase in our industry. No cause and effect here, just I didn't like it then and I do not like it now. Asking someone to reach out when you mean contact just seems dumb to me.

Makes me feel like a curmudgeon! Get off my lawn! Right?

[RAFlorida]

When some one gets on your lawn, just "reach out..." and knock the daylights out of them!! lol just kidding.
I've heard that phrase and don't care for it either. To me it's like people saying "know what I mean..." or "Oh well..." and then the use of "right...".
I think it borderlines on laziness or lack of education, "know what I mean?" Ah somebody stop me...
Hope I've not offended anybody, sorry if I have.

[Stytooner]

I think you can thank AT&T. "Reach out and touch someone." Wasn't that one of their long distance phone ads smart phone?

I always thought if you could reach out and touch them, it would not really be a long distance call.

[cwsmith]

I've got an old friend who constantly says, "You hear what I'm saying?"... in any given phone conversation he says that about a dozen times.

I think a lot of people you talk to today have these kind of sayings or remarks; sort of like the "Auh" that so many people interject into their speech every other breath. When I was in 'Toastmasters' many years ago, we'd use the marble can for those "Auh's" and for many of us it was a cure. It didn't take us long to expand that to include those repeat phrases that some of our members habitually used. My own affliction was to repeat, "Ya know" all too often. I was soon cured of that!

(For those who haven't had that experience, the "Marble Can" was given to one of the member listeners, and when the speaker uttered their "Auh" they'd drop a marble into an old coffee can. Sometimes the drop was more like a slam, and as a speaker, it would be loud and startling. A few shots of the marble would soon make most speakers quite aware and they'd soon drop the habit.... we'd also have to pay up a nickel for each.

It's funny though, as I find myself getting older I feel less tolerant of people. Maybe it's living in the city now, as opposed to the small village where we lived for more than thirty years. I like the diversity here, but the daily interaction with strangers, too often turns me into a real grouch. Like WTH is with people anymore? They don't know how to drive, to dress, to speak, to be courteous.... trash everywhere you look, and everybody thinks that the streets, sidewalks, and parking lots are their personal trash dumps. (On the other hand, I've got this fellow who walks by the house every single day and he carries a small trash bag with him, picking up litter as he makes his way. He covers about ten blocks on his way to the shopping center where he dumps it. I talk to him fairly often and he told me he's been doing that for about 20 years now.)

CWS

[leehljp]

I think I have about 2 dozen pet peeves. Maybe more! Aging has made me that way. And also helped me lose count of the number!

[capncarl]

I have an pet peeve with the constant use of "issues". Whenever I can get away with it, when someone says they have issues with something, I butt in and tell them that I have issues of Sports Car Graphic magazine dated back into the 1950s, what kind of issues do you have? I usually get a puzzled look back! Maybe they don't collect magazines? What other issues could they have?
capncarl

[Brian G]

All you have to do is ideate crosscutting leveraging opportunities to fulcrumize paradigm shifts to lean in and capitalize on safe harbor decision strategies.

There is an insidious sickness of over-used phrases that needs to be cured.

[thegman]

My biggest pet peeve is that people just aren't up front with you anymore. They will lie to your face instead of telling you the truth. There is much less morality in everything we say and do now days. I think "Political Correctness" is another word for "Sheep Speak". Say what the **** you mean and quit pandering to the PC crowd. Be your own person and live your life they way you want to as long as it does not violate the basic laws and common sense.

Just saying!!!!

[dbhost]

Sadly, we use "customer outreach" on a multiple times daily basis. It has bugged me since day one.

[RAFlorida]

I agree with 'thegman' about the term/phrase "Political Correctness". To me and many I know it's a catch statement that people use to hide behind. I like the way he puts it, "Sheep Speak", because that's exactly what it means! People are too scared to say what they really mean. And then along comes some one to say, "know what I mean". Totally insane, lazy, scared.

[JimD]

There are companies that make huge money making up their own terms for simple things and convincing people they know something. Our company has bought into the "Project Management Institute". I got PM-1 certified under our previous process and checked out one of their courses on project communications. They grossly confused a simple concept with all kinds of new terminology and then gave you a test that only tested whether you knew their terms. I was constantly thinking "if you want to know what the customer wants and when ask them". That was never an option. Garbage. I don't really use my certification and plan to keep doing the same thing for a few more years then retiring so I will just let it lapse. But I hate to see us wasting money on nonsense. The courses are expensive and time consuming and the value is very low. Maybe negative. If you spend all your time on their silly terminology and processes, you may fail to think about what you really need to consider and mess things up.

[vaking]

I think I have about 2 dozen pet peeves. Maybe more! Aging has made me that way. And also helped me loose count of the number!

We all have pet peeves. When was the last time you heard words "shall" or "will". Nobody says he will do something, instead you will hear that he is going to do it. Sounds similar but I guess it is more PC. If you say you shall send a report - it is a promise, if you say you are going to send a report - it is nothing more than your intention but not a commitment.

[capncarl]

One of my "favorite" pet peeve is water heaters! A creature from the last century that hasn't improved its design from the day it was first rolled off the assembly line. Ever try to clean the calcium build up out of one? Can't do it through the little bitty element hole without building some long spoon tools. The pitiful drain provided for the owner to flush said accumulations of calcium buildups is about the equivalent of a slurpy straw. I go on a rant every time I have to work my water heater, saying that I'll build one that anyone can clean out and service, then I finish and clean mess and forget about it until the next time it fills up with calcium. What would be so hard for the manufacturer to build a small hatch just large enough for a person to stick his arm in the tank and scoop out the crud or retrieve the piece of crap cold water inlet tube that broke off and fell in the tank, wipe the inside of the tank with a bleach rag and have hot water in 30 minutes rather than 4 hours of spooning calcium with a 24" long spoon? Then the manufacturer would not get to sell you a new water heater every 8-10 years. There is a special place for them!

[schloff]

Any corporate buzz word is my peeve. I recall back in the early 90s, while working at a large automotive design center, they came up with the word "empowerment". After seeing management jump on that like they did, I knew what the game was all about. The buzzword was now gospel. They held "empowerment" meetings, events, classes... All hosted and researched by the employee. And typically had little to do with the company or industry at all, wasn't always the case. Something that the employees were "strongly encouraged" to participate in. (managers were taking head count usually) If anybody who was failing at their normal job duties wanted to climb the ladder and ensure their job security, all they had to do was host one of these time wasters. It eventually morphed into a new subset of the industry as a whole. As far as I know, the term "empowerment" isn't used any longer, but replaced by a whole process, complete with corporate specs.

And as to political correctness, there was a punk band who said that that "political correct means 'tag along, stupid'". Sums it up nicely.

[atgcpaul]

I hate the term "stakeholder" and I think someone in upper management does, too. At our recent end of the year wrap-up, division heads were asked to give short presentations to summarize their group's work for the year. One of the presentation was titled "Stakeholders!" He ran up on stage and said, "Stakeholders! Stakeholders! Stakeholders? What's all this about stakeholders??? This is a steak holder!" and he held up a long fork. He then went back to his chair to uproarious laughter and the meeting continued.