I've been working in Financial Services for over 6 years now and during my time I've heard a few corporate phrases been thrown around, as well as being guilty of using a few myself to make my point seem more intellectual than it really is.
But recently I was thinking about some of these phases and whether they could be useful if applied to my personal life and development. Turns out they could.
So below are my top 5 favorite corporate phrases, which if applied to your personal life could prove to be very beneficial.
#1 - Low Hanging Fruit
This is a classic. Low hanging fruit means tasks that are easier to achieve. Often, they are tactical solutions that should lead to a bigger strategic solution.
Application To Life When it comes to habit creation or self-development, this is a very sensible approach to take. Start with the "low hanging fruit" i.e., the smaller habits which if done consistently will lead to the bigger changes over time.
For example, if you want to get healthier, start with the simplest change, like drinking an extra glass of water each day. Over time scale up your good habits, and before you know it the by-product will be a fitter, healthier version of you.
#2 - MVP
Minimum Viable Product is the concept of launching a new product in its most minimum or basic form. The idea is to gather consumer feedback and continually develop new iterations until you've arrived at the final ideal product.
Application To Life If we were to adopt this mindset in our personal life, we would greatly overcome procrastination and start a lot more of our goals. This is because most of us wait until everything is perfect before getting started, but MVP flips this on its head and encourages you to just get started and improve along the way. For example, I'm applying the concept of MVP with writing. My goal is to write as much as possible, not worrying about perfection, because I know the more, I write the more I'll improve along the way.
#3 - Take It Offline
In meetings when people don't have the answers, you will often hear them saying "let's take it offline".
Application To Life When linking this back to life, I applied this quite literally. The idea of going "offline" or having a digital detox. Every so often, we should allow ourselves to go offline and take a break from the online world.
A practical way of implementing this is intentionally setting aside time either once a month, once a week or even once per day, where you disconnect from the online world and reconnect with the real world.
#4 - Move The Needle
Another popular term used in the workplace is moving the needle. This essentially means which items will have the biggest impact on the business and therefore will "move the needle".
Application To Life When it comes to our life, we should ask a similar question. What is that one goal that if achieved, would drastically improve the quality of your life. For example, it could be your health, a new job, getting into a relationship or earning more money.
Once you've identified the area, make it your top priority, and take daily actions which will get you closer to the goal, until you eventually moved the needle.
#5 - North Star
The north star is the ultimate vision or goal the business is working towards. This is often the mission statement and greater purpose that should guide all decisions.
Application To Life Having your north star or vision defined is crucial for a more successful and meaningful life. Without it you will stumble through life, not knowing where you're heading. A clear north star acts as your guiding light and leads you to your purposeful destination. Creating a happier and more fulfilling life along way.
To help determine your north star, think about your core values and what's important to you in life. For example, if you value having good quality relationships, then that should be part of your vision, and your actions and priorities should all align to this longer-term north star.
Conclusion
Next time you hear these words at work, remember not all corporate phrases are jargon. Sometimes they can be quite useful especially when applied to life and when seen with a "blue sky thinking" mindset.