When You Hear These Run The Other Way!!
When you hear them, there’s one message: things are not quite right here!
1. "We Dunno" -“Our visibility into the quarter is a little fuzzy” – translation: “I have no idea.” If you hear this or a variation thereof, alarms should go off in your head. It’s often used when sales just fell off a cliff and those responsible don’t have a clue why. Layoffs are next!
2. " Fool' Em"! - “We need to manage the optics of this.” If you have any ethics, this one should make you squirm. This is an updated version of “We need to pull the wool over their eyes.” Or more bluntly: “How can we lie about this in a way they will believe?” Make sure not to be the scapegoat when those lies are exposed!
3. " Is Greed Good? " - “Don’t leave money on the table.” This one should set off your ethical alarms, too. Study the situation asking yourself if the company is actually saying: “We are dealing with naïve people who we can exploit. Let’s be as greedy as possible.” Is this a place where you want to spend the rest of your life?
4. " Phoney Baloney" - “We’re getting some push back.” Careful! This is often a code for “They’re not buying the baloney we dished up.” Watch for your company's response. Do they try to fix the problems that caused the person to “push back”? Or does the company just shovel more baloney? Is that how they're going to treat you?
5. " In The Loop " - “We’ll loop you in when we need to.” Pay attention when you’re told this one. It can mean: “You’re going to be left out of the discussions while we take credit for your ideas.”
It can also mean: “We are far too timid to try your ideas.” This is a strong signal to ponder your future. You want the opportunity to sell your ideas to decision-makers, not be left out of the discussion. You also want to work in an environment where you will be permitted to make your ideas succeed.
If you are being left out, you need to look elsewhere where your creativity can be better utilized!
