Comment: Could my dear old dad walk the talk today?

I was thinking about my dear old dad the other day and how he would react to the business world of 2005.

Dad was a man of great ideas but few words. He had this strange concept that involved identifying a problem, working out the solution, and putting the damn thing right without too much fuss or performance.

He was the sort of bloke that if he came back today and was asked if he used a matrix, he would say, "Of course I do lad, what do you think I sleep on at night." If someone told him they wanted to touch base with him, he'd give them a very funny look and say, "Oh is that the time, I'm late for my next appointment."

I can't recall him ever having a blue sky idea, walking the talk or working smarter-not-harder. Well, he did - he just didn't put it like that. With dad, situations weren't happening, "at this moment in time," they were happening, "now." How he managed to succeed with such a limited vocabulary is beyond me.

He came to mind as I was preparing for a monthly meeting with a local government department. Fair play, he is a nice young bloke. Has the regulation blue shirt and yellow tie and all that. Straight out of Uni with a Masters Degree in Wanky Words.

In all this time, he hasn't actually said anything substantial. He starts the conversation and launches straight into a sort of, "Aren't I clever - look how many words and phrases I know" routine, thinking I will somehow be impressed.

I can tell he is just bursting to use, "disintermediation" but can't think how to include it. If there was a way for me to stick his conversation on the fridge, he would expect me to do it. There are many places I would like to stick his conversation, but the fridge is not high on the agenda.

As I thought about all this, I thought "am I the only consultant who feels this way about buzz-words?" Apparently not. For those of you who feel like I do, here are a few sites you may like.

The consultancy matrix, a.k.a. The Bullshit Generator

Business Buzzword Bingo

The Buzz Word Generator

If I get any more blue sky ideas, I shall feel empowered to let you know.

The Guv'nor