
Evasiveness: the number-one corporate value - joshuacc
http://www.dorisandbertie.com/goodcopybadcopy/2011/07/06/evasiveness-the-number-one-corporate-value/
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hammock
There was some article or blog I read that put forth a very convincing
argument that "corporate speak" (what the OP is all about, which applies not
only to external comm but also internal) is actually necessary and beneficial.
Something about how you can't talk to everyone the same way because they all
have different perspectives/bets/goals, but sometimes as a leader you have
everyone looking at you at the same time, so you have to say something.

Basically as you mature as a leader, your communication style has to evolve.

~~~
PotatoEngineer
So mature leader == ability to say something that will make everyone happy,
but lacks concrete terms? I realize that part of leadership is keeping people
happy, but is it really correct to consistently bury a little bit of content
in a lot of fluff?

The trouble is that, as a guy working for The Man, corp-speak just makes me
think that the corporate leaders are guys who will say anything as long as it
can be couched in non-offensive terms.

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hammock
I just came across a REAL list that looked exactly like the one in the article
(yeah, that's the point but I still found it funny how uncanny it was)

<http://www.ketchum.com/careers>

 _How we stand out is through six guiding principles, which bring our vision
to life and help us attract many of the best PR and communications pros in the
industry:

1\. Attract and Retain Distinct Talent - Recruit people of integrity who
respect one another, want to grow professionally, value diverse views, work
hard and have fun.

2\. Preserve Our Client-centered Culture - Make sure we continue to forge
enduring client partnerships by delivering fresh and actionable insights,
compelling creativity and quality work.

3\. Focus on Results - Deliver results that clearly show value and drive brand
awareness, credibility and loyalty.

4\. Go Beyond the Obvious - Seek innovative solutions -- from any source -- to
address each client’s unique business challenge.

5\. Create Communications That Get Heard - Dominate in media relations and
differentiate through innovative media solutions -- deepen relationships by
engaging influencers and stakeholders.

6\. Hold Each Other Accountable - Evaluate our performance against fair and
objective standards to improve our performance as individuals, teams and a
total firm._

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Shenglong
I realize this is supposed to be satirical, so is it sad that I half agree
with most of these changes, purely out of necessity? :(

~~~
winestock
Yes, it is sad. And yes, it must be done out of necessity.

Any company, especially a large company, must do business with a large number
of people. Inevitably, some of those people will be, uh, neurotic. Some of
those people belong to watch-dog groups which may or may not have motivations
aside from playing out internal "rescuer" psychodramas. Some of those people
are journalists who are itching to carve out a "hard-hitting" reputation from
the hides of their betters. Some of those people are lawyers who are trying to
salve their consciences by showing that no, they didn't go into Law just for
the money. Some of those people are bureaucrats who wish to demonstrate their
"impact" so as to impress their peers at the next high-society cocktail party.
And so forth.

Corporations act like contemptible curs partly because the free market does
not work exactly as advertised, partly because business schools are seedbeds
of iniquity, and partly because _they get punished for acting otherwise_.

~~~
jordanb
In this example, the fundamental problem with the original set of statements
is that they are _not true_.

The problem is that the copywriter works at an organization that has
contemptible business practices. Given that state of affairs she could either:

1) Tell the truth and produce a highly cynical document that would cost her
job plus blowback.

2) Tell lies (the original version), causing blowback and probably costing her
and several others their jobs.

3) Write a bunch of pleasant-sounding meaningless nothings (the final version)
which fulfills her assignment of writing a value statement free of both lies
and brutal honesty. Interestingly, on a meta level, this is actually a very
honest document, as it ends up reading "We have no values."

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yuhong
Personally, I have said that legacy PR based on controlling the message is
fundamentally flawed for a while now.

