COB
Close of business, usually 5:00 PM.
Corporate buzzwords beginning with C
Decode business jargon with satirical definitions and related terms. Browse 141 entries.
CYA
Cover your ass — protect yourself from blame.
Cadence
A pretentious way of saying "schedule" that makes basic time management sound like a sophisticated business process, usually used to justify why meetings happen at random intervals.
Call to action
A prompt directing someone toward a next step.
Can of worms
A small issue that could spiral into something bigger.
Canary in the coal mine
An early warning of danger.
Capacity planning
A corporate euphemism for "guessing how much work we can handle" that makes wild speculation sound like sophisticated resource management, usually done by people who have never actually managed resources.
Carbon neutral
Achieving net zero carbon emissions by balancing emissions with carbon removal or offsetting activities.
Career cushioning
The practice of maintaining backup job options while staying in your current role, like having a safety net.
Category design
The process of creating a new market category and positioning your company as the leader of that category.
Champion
A corporate euphemism for "person who gets blamed when things go wrong" that makes being a scapegoat sound like a leadership position, usually assigned to the most optimistic person in the room.
Champion (as a verb)
To aggressively support or promote something, usually while pretending you're not just doing your job. A corporate way to make "support" sound more heroic.
Change agent
A corporate title for someone whose job is to make other people's jobs different, usually without asking them first.
Change agent
Someone who's supposed to drive change, which is great until they realize no one wants to change.
Check the box
To complete a task with minimal effort, usually just to satisfy a requirement rather than actually accomplish anything meaningful.
Chime in
Add comments or input in a discussion.
Churn
Customer churn is the loss of customers over a specified period. A customer churn rate expresses those losses as a percentage of a defined starting customer base.
Churn mitigation
Strategies to reduce customer cancellations and retain existing customers, like relationship counseling for businesses.
Circle back
A corporate way of saying 'I'll forget about this until you remind me again.' The art of appearing busy while doing absolutely nothing productive.
Circle back
A corporate way of saying 'I'll forget about this until you remind me again.' The art of appearing busy while doing absolutely nothing productive.
Circle of trust
A group of people who won't tell anyone about your terrible decisions.
Circular Alignment
Executives use Circular Alignment to inspire confidence, while the rest of the team quietly Googles it.
Circular Architecture
Executives use Circular Architecture to inspire confidence, while the rest of the team quietly Googles it.
Circular Blueprint
Circular Blueprint is a shiny phrase that tends to generate more steering committees than real outcomes.
Circular Ecosystem
Circular Ecosystem promises sweeping change, though in practice it’s usually just a rebrand of existing processes.
Circular Framework
No meeting is complete until someone suggests Circular Framework as the next big move.
Circular Initiative
Circular Initiative promises sweeping change, though in practice it’s usually just a rebrand of existing processes.
Circular Integration
Think of Circular Integration as corporate poetry: pretty words, little substance.
Circular Journey
Circular Journey promises sweeping change, though in practice it’s usually just a rebrand of existing processes.
Circular Loop
Despite its futuristic vibe, Circular Loop often results in the same status quo under a trendier label.
Circular Metric
Executives use Circular Metric to inspire confidence, while the rest of the team quietly Googles it.
Circular Orchestration
Despite its futuristic vibe, Circular Orchestration often results in the same status quo under a trendier label.
Circular Pipeline
Despite its futuristic vibe, Circular Pipeline often results in the same status quo under a trendier label.
Circular Playbook
More of a mantra than a method, Circular Playbook thrives in quarterly reports and keynote speeches.
Circular Roadmap
Executives use Circular Roadmap to inspire confidence, while the rest of the team quietly Googles it.
Circular Synergy
Despite its futuristic vibe, Circular Synergy often results in the same status quo under a trendier label.
Circular Touchpoint
When someone says Circular Touchpoint, it’s often code for ‘we don’t really know what this means, but it sounds innovative.’
Circular Transformation
When someone says Circular Transformation, it’s often code for ‘we don’t really know what this means, but it sounds innovative.’
Circular economy
An economic system that eliminates waste by reusing, recycling, and regenerating materials in a closed loop.
Circular file
A euphemistic way to refer to the trash can, used by people who think "wastebasket" is too direct or who enjoy unnecessary corporate speak.