| A | B | D | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Term | Definition | Notes | |
2 | 360 review | A feedback process where an employee receives input from peers, managers, and sometimes direct reports | ||
3 | abundance mindset | An approach that believes there's enough resources and opportunities for everyone, encouraging sharing and collaboration. | ||
4 | action items | Specific tasks or responsibilities assigned during a meeting or feedback session | ||
5 | agile (methodology) | Agile methodology is a project management approach that emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and continuous improvement by breaking projects into smaller, manageable cycles called sprints, allowing teams to adapt quickly to changes and deliver incremental value. | ||
6 | AI note-taker | Artificial intelligence tools that automatically transcribe and summarize meeting conversations. | ||
7 | air cover | When leadership protects the team so they can focus on the work without getting pulled into politics, distractions, or unnecessary noise. | ||
8 | alumni/alumnus | A former employee who maintains a positive relationship with their previous organization. | ||
9 | annual bonus | A yearly financial reward given to employees based on performance, company success, or both. | ||
10 | attrition | In the workplace, attrition is when employees depart from the organization. Synonyms: churn, turnover | ||
11 | authority | Authority is the formal power granted by a role or title—the ability to make decisions, allocate resources, or direct others based on organizational structure. People with authority lead because they can. | ||
12 | B-T-Dubs | By the way | ||
13 | bliitzscaling | A hypergrowth strategy in which a company prioritizes speed over efficiency to capture market share quickly. It involves rapid, high-risk growth, scaling teams and processes under tight timelines, and navigating significant ambiguity. Blitzscaling is intentionally extreme and market-driven, distinct from steady or normal growth. | ||
14 | bottleneck | messy | ||
15 | butts in seat metric | A management approach focused on physically seeing employees at their desks, rather than measuring actual productivity | ||
16 | career ladder / matrix / path / competency model | A "career ladder" is a metaphorical term in business and human resources, describing the progression from entry-level positions to higher levels of pay, skill, responsibility, or authority within an organization. | ||
17 | career stage | A person's current phase of professional growth, defined by their experience, skills, and role progression. | ||
18 | collective | The interconnected group of individuals within a team or organization, emphasizing interdependence and shared responsibility beyond individual roles. | ||
19 | compensation philosophy | A predefined strategy that outlines how an organization handles pay, promotions, and talent management decisions. | ||
20 | contagion effect | The spread of negative sentiment or frustration among team members when leadership fails to support or engage talented employees. | ||
21 | content creation | The process of producing and sharing digital media (like blog posts, videos, podcasts) to engage an audience and build a personal or professional brand. | ||
22 | craft | an occupation or trade requiring manual dexterity, artistic skill, and often a high degree of judgment and training. | ||
23 | credentials signaling | The practice of using titles, degrees, or professional achievements to communicate expertise and authority. | ||
24 | decision log | A record of key decisions made during a meeting to provide clarity and prevent revisiting settled topics. | ||
25 | DISC Assessment | A personality assessment that categorizes people into four primary personality types: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. | ||
26 | emotional intelligence (EQ) | The ability to understand, manage, and regulate one's own emotions and those of others. | ||
27 | end-to-end testing (E2E) | End-to-end (E2E) testing validates an application's functionality from the user's perspective, simulating real-world scenarios to ensure all components work together seamlessly, from start to finish. | ||
28 | engagement survey | A questionnaire designed to measure employee satisfaction and commitment | ||
29 | ERG (employee resource group) | Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), also known as affinity groups or business network groups, are voluntary, employee-led groups focused on shared characteristics, interests, or life experiences, providing support, promoting career development, and fostering a sense of community. | ||
30 | extrinsic Incentives | Extrinsic incentives are external motivators—things like money, promotions, praise, or avoiding punishment. They’re about what you get (or avoid) from the outside world in exchange for your effort. | ||
31 | feedback fatigue | The overwhelming feeling of exhaustion from constant requests for feedback | ||
32 | finite game | Finite games are played by known players. They have fixed rules. And there is an agreed-upon objective that, when reached, ends the game. | ||
33 | five whys / 5 whys | The "5 Whys" is a problem-solving technique that involves repeatedly asking "why" to uncover the root cause of a problem by peeling away layers of symptoms. | ||
34 | fractional | As the New York Times defines it, is a person who's seen here in their career. Career that that is working with a company on a part time basis. They don't just execute strategy, they set it. | ||
35 | full stack fallacy | The misconception that one person can expertly perform all roles or skills within a specific domain, such as full stack engineering. | ||
36 | generalist | A multi-skilled, adaptable, fast learners who can jump into any role and make things happen | courtesy of Generalist World | |
37 | get stuff done-er | A cheeky term for the folks who don’t get caught up in the politics, posturing, or perfection—they just make things happen. | ||
38 | glue work | Coined initially by Tanya Reilly, is a term used to describe the invisible work that helps teams and organizations run effectively and improve team cohesiveness and culture. Synonyms: invisible work, office housekeeping | ||
39 | grand boss | Your boss's boss | ||
40 | hard skills | Technical or specific skills that can be clearly defined and measured, such as coding or specific job-related technical abilities. | ||
41 | HBR - Harvard Business Review | Harvard Business Review is a general management magazine published by Harvard Business Publishing, a not-for-profit, independent corporation that is an affiliate of Harvard Business School. | ||
42 | HRIS (Human Resources Information System) | A system used by HR departments to manage employee records, titles, compensation, and benefits. | ||
43 | I-shaped people | Specialists with very deep, narrow expertise in a specific field, with limited skills outside their core area. | ||
44 | icebreaker | A conversation starter or activity designed to help people feel more comfortable and engaged in a meeting or group setting | ||
45 | implicate | 1a: to bring into intimate or incriminating connection evidence that implicates him in the bombing 1b: to involve in the nature or operation of something 2: to involve as a consequence, corollary, or natural inference : imply 3: (archaic) to fold or twist together : entwine | From Merriam Webster | |
46 | impostor syndrome | The persistent inability to believe that one's success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one's own efforts or skills | From Oxford English Dictionary | |
47 | individual contributor | A professional who executes tasks and delivers results without direct managerial responsibility for others. | ||
48 | individual contributor track | A career path that allows professionals to advance in their role without moving into people management, focusing on developing deep expertise in their specific field. | ||
49 | infinate game | Infinite games have infinite time horizons. And because there is no finish line, no practical end to the game, there is no such thing as “winning” an infinite game. In an infinite game, the primary objective is to keep playing, to perpetuate the game. | ||
50 | influence | Influence is the ability to shape outcomes, decisions, or behaviors without formal power through relationships, expertise, trust, or communication. People with influence lead because others choose to follow them. | ||
51 | information hoarding | Keeping information to oneself without sharing, often driven by fear or a desire for job security. | ||
52 | Insiders | In the context of Ep 12… Insiders are the permanent employees of a particular organization. They have to abide by the rules, regulations, and cultural norms for that specific organization. These folks are most likely full-time employees. | ||
53 | interests | The core needs, motivations, and values behind a person's stance or goals. | ||
54 | intrinsic | Synonyms: built-in, essential, hardwired, inborn, inbred, indigenous, ingrained, inherent, innate, native, natural | From Merriam-Webster | |
55 | intrinsic Incentives | Intrinsic incentives are internal motivators—the things that drive us because they feel meaningful, satisfying, or aligned with who we are. It’s the fulfillment you get from solving a complex problem, helping a teammate, or doing work that reflects your values, even when no one’s watching. | ||
56 | invisible work | Synonym for glue work. See glue work for definition. | ||
57 | just cause | A mission or purpose that inspires people to contribute beyond immediate personal gains, like "helping people make a life, not just a living." | ||
58 | keyboard warriors | People who criticize or give opinions online, often without direct experience or context | ||
59 | knowledge as currency | The idea of information as a form of power or value in the workplace. | ||
60 | knowledge repository | A knowledge repository is a centralized, organized system for storing, sharing, and managing knowledge, often used by organizations to improve efficiency, collaboration, and decision-making | ||
61 | leadership gym | A metaphorical concept of continuously developing leadership skills through practice, reflection, and personal growth. | ||
62 | LEAN (methodology) | Lean methodology is a management philosophy and set of practices focused on eliminating waste and maximizing value for the customer by optimizing processes and resources. It emphasizes continuous improvement, respect for people, and a focus on the whole system. | ||
63 | lean coffee | A meeting methodology where participants brainstorm topics at the start of the meeting and then vote to prioritize which topics to discuss. | ||
64 | life's lifeiness | The unpredictable, emotional nature of personal experiences that impact one's work and emotional state | ||
65 | LinkedIn algorithm | The system that determines how content is displayed and prioritized on the LinkedIn platform, influencing post visibility and engagement. | ||
66 | live note-taking | Taking notes in real-time during a meeting, often shared on screen for collaborative editing and verification. | ||
67 | locked in amber | A state where employees become stagnant, unable to innovate or grow due to restrictive leadership practices. | ||
68 | Lucy | Lucy Van Pelt is a fictional character in the syndicated comic strip Peanuts, written and drawn by Charles Schulz. Lucy operates a psychiatric booth, parodying the lemonade stand operated by many young children in the United States. Here, she offers advice and psychoanalysis for five cents. | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_Van_Pelt | |
69 | mandatory fun | Forced team-building or social activities that are required by management, often perceived as inauthentic and uncomfortable. | ||
70 | meeting for a meeting | A preparatory meeting to discuss the agenda, content, and approach for another upcoming meeting. | ||
71 | merit increase | A salary raise based on individual performance, contributions, or achievements. | ||
72 | meritocracy | A system where individuals are recognized and advanced based on their demonstrated abilities, contributions, and value to the organization, including both visible and invisible work. | ||
73 | Messy Middle | The messy middle is where resilience, creativity, and adaptability are most needed, and where they are often tested the hardest. It’s the phase where people and teams either break down or break through. When approached with intention, support, and the right frameworks, the messy middle can become a time of deep transformation rather than just struggle. The goal isn’t to avoid the messy middle; it’s to navigate it with tools, strategies, and communities that make it more manageable, meaningful, and ultimately successful. | ||
74 | Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) | A personality assessment that categorizes individuals based on four dichotomies: Introversion/Extroversion, Intuition/Sensing, Thinking/Feeling, and Judging/Perceiving. | ||
75 | onboarding | The process of integrating new people into a team or organization, equipping them with the tools, knowledge, and connections needed to succeed. | ||
76 | open source | Software or tools with publicly available source code that can be freely used, modified, and shared. | ||
77 | operations manager | Ensures that the day-to-day functions of a business or team run smoothly. | ||
78 | operator | An operator is a leader responsible for turning strategy into execution by managing the day-to-day mechanics of a business. Operators ensure that teams, systems, and resources are aligned to deliver outcomes, often bridging the gap between high-level vision and ground-level implementation. | ||
79 | org design | Organizational design is the intentional process of shaping the structure, roles, workflows, and relationships within a company to align with its strategy, culture, and goals. It’s about making sure the right people are in the right roles, working in the right way—so the organization can function effectively and adapt to change. | ||
80 | organizational heirarchy | The structure of levels and titles within an organization that defines reporting relationships and status. | ||
81 | organizational resiliency | The ability of an organization to adapt and maintain effectiveness when key talent leaves. | ||
82 | orphaned work | Work that must be done but has no assigned owner. | ||
83 | out of pocket | 1: Unreachable/unavailable 2: Going wild/crazy 3: Expenses incurred | ||
84 | outputs | Outputs are the tangible things a person or team produces—the visible results of their work. That could be a project plan, a code commit, a campaign launch, a workshop delivered, or a customer ticket resolved. It’s the “what” they create or complete. | ||
85 | Outsiders | In the context of Ep 12… Outsiders are the agencies, consultancies and high-paid subject matter experts (SMEs) that organizations bring in for a specific purpose or a fixed period of time. | ||
86 | parking lot | A list or space where off-topic or tangential ideas are noted for potential future discussion during a meeting. | ||
87 | people manager | A leader responsible for guiding, supporting, and developing a team while overseeing work execution and performance. | ||
88 | people matter | A core value emphasizing that human beings and their well-being are more important than strict workplace protocols | ||
89 | persona | a fictional representation of a target user, created to help designers and developers understand the needs and motivations of a specific group of users | ||
90 | personal branding | The practice of marketing oneself and one's career as a brand, highlighting unique skills, experiences, and perspectives. | ||
91 | Peter principle | When employees are promoted based on their success in previous jobs, until they reach a level at which they are no longer competent, as skills in one job do not necessarily translate to another. | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_principle | |
92 | player-coach | A leadership style where a manager or leader continues to actively participate in the hands-on work of their team while also managing the team. | ||
93 | PM | In most cases, we are referring to a program manager or project manager | ||
94 | PM Type: checklist PM | Focused on execution. They keep timelines tight, to-dos checked, and stakeholders in sync. Think of them as the taskmasters who make sure the train leaves the station on time. | ||
95 | PM Type: get stuff done PM | the person you call when the wheels are wobbling and the deadline’s looming. They’re not chasing perfection—they’re chasing progress. | ||
96 | PM Type: strategic PM | Zooms out to align the work with broader goals. They’re asking “why,” managing ambiguity, and adjusting course based on shifting priorities. | ||
97 | post-meeting | A follow-up discussion after the main meeting to clarify outcomes, decisions, and next steps. | ||
98 | precocious talent | Highly skilled employees who are inquisitive, challenge the status quo, and demonstrate advanced capabilities beyond their current role. | ||
99 | prepending | The practice of adding a prefix or label to notes to categorize them (e.g., "Action Item:", "Decision:"). | ||
100 | program manager | Oversees a group of related projects (a program) to ensure they align with broader business objectives. |