Productive meetings.

Managing for top performance.

Motivating your staff.

Until I worked for an investment bank, I’d only ever heard the word “talent” used of the likes of David Beckham. But as soon as I arrived in the world of finance, I discovered that everyone was talented - even me.

A nice-enough-looking website. But read the text closely and you'll see it's a great example of how not to talk to your customers.

Do customers really expect to be delighted these days? Are they disappointed when merely satisfied?

I’m reading a book about finance at the moment and in it I came across a hedge fund called “The High-Grade Structured Credit Strategies Enhanced Leverage Fund” Quite a mouthful, eh?

A reader forwarded a ridiculous job advert to me. I believe it to be genuine, so if you’re interested, let me know and I’ll put you in touch with him.

Here are the bloated and baffling buzz words that are getting my goat this week. What would you add to the list?

Organising a campaign? Want to get everyone involved? Keen to sound inclusive, exciting and a little bit down with the kids? Not sure what to call it? Why, just add to the list . . .

Read the strapline attached to any branch of local government or publicly funded service in the UK and you’ll soon realise just how much touchy-feely teamwork is involved in bleeding you of your hard-earned taxes.

Do you really think your employees have an intense, emotional attachment to their work? And that the phrase “a passion for excellence” captures exactly how your firm gets things done?

Need to come up with a strapline that really sums up your company? Think carefully before going the way of the alliterative triplet.

We’re constantly being bombarded with mendacious marketing messages by charlatans trying to sell us something that’s free, abundant and available on tap – literally.

My parents’ generation all had jobs. Today’s workers, lucky creatures that we are, have “roles”. At least we did – until the financial crisis hit. Because, where roles are created and offered, jobs are invariably cut and lost.

Sometime last year our traffic wardens became “civil enforcement officers”. Actually, there had been an intermediary stage I’d missed when they were known as “parking attendants”.

A little puzzle for you. Can you work out the straplines the copywriter came up with after being sent these clunky first drafts by the guys from corporate?

Are you a manager or a leader? I bet I could tell you which one you are from your writing style.

Request, please. When you’re emailing me, please don't use the words “advise” and “revert”. Nothing wrong with those words, you may say. True enough. If, that is, they’re used correctly.