Everything's eventually... well, strategic!

Of the many things that are starting to irk me with the line of work that I have chosen ( how did I get here anyway?!) is the gratuitous use of jargon - better known as 'constuling'nese' to some. It is hard to go through a single day without hearing one of those powerful bits of erudition being thrown around, either to impress or to digress.  Whether to minimize downstream inconsistencies, zoom in on a blue/white (or whatever colour is in vogue) space opportunity, or even to identify high-value adjacencies, it is always about being 'strategic'. What does that mean anyway?

For us cosultants, the word 'strategic' is a powerful descriptor, often attached to whatever initiatives we have 'carefully analyzed' to turn them from a simple post-midnight ideas into a panacea for what is irking the CEO. Yup, the big guy gets irked, and his anxieties are only alleviated when he sees a number of well polished slides pronouncing that the next 12 months will usher in the cure to all his troubles - all packaged into neatly structured set of strategic initiatives.

Every meeting, every email, and even every cursory conversation by the water coller, will likely include a derivative of the word 'strategy' - as they should ... we are, after all, 'strategy' consultants! Client costs too high? How about 'strategic' cost cutting initiatives. Market share too low? Well, some 'strategic' segmentation of key customer groups may do the trick. International expansion? Then a 'strategic' partnership is what the doctor ordered. Amazing how a simple 8-letter word can turn something as banal as cost cutting into a million dollar idea - quite literally!

Working too late in the office and getting famished? Perhaps a strategic sourcing initiative from McDonald's down the street is just what you are looking for....