Manager catch phrases

Nurses General Nursing

Published

We have a new manager at one of my jobs. Every interaction with her sounds like she's following a script learned at a leadership seminar. It feels very fake and insincere, and we all wish she'd go away.

She likes the phrase "I offer my sincere, professional apology" for instance. She sent an email with the minutes to the staff meeting, and offered the above phrase to preface her apology for sending it later than, I guess, she wanted to. She used it when she sent me an email with someone else's name. I heard her use the phrase in person as well. It's like dealing with an android or autobot.

She's full of lots of other canned catch phrases. There's lots of talk about team building, over the top praise, and followed by turds containing threats if we aren't compliant, then ending with some more sugary, team building cliches.

Have any of you experienced this? I'm not a fan of scripting. I'm sure there is value in learning leadership skills, but not if it turns you into an obvious phony.

Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.
I don't claim to be an expert regarding the English language, but Mr. Harry Adrian, my high school teacher taught me a bit about proper speech and written communication. I rarely watch the news, because doing so makes me want to scream at the screen, not so much because of the news stories themselves, but because the anchors can't seem to read them without butchering grammar or resorting to catch phrases.

I work in corrections, and I notice things like this on the news all the time. Newsreaders repeatedly use the term "behind bars" for any kind of incarceration, when bars haven't been used in cell construction for decades. About the only place that you see them, except for the few truly ancient prisons that still operate, is on crash gates that separate one area of the facility from another, usually with motorized gates that allow different areas of the building to be closed off when needed. They also use the word "jail" for any kind of incarceration, despite the fact that jails and prisons are distinctly different places. Jails generally hold people for no more than one year (a few days is the general rule), and people awaiting trial. Prison is where they go for incarceration after conviction. My correctional officer friends would also like for me to throw in the overuse of the term "prison guards".

Specializes in ICU + Infection Prevention.

This unit is on the fast track to the "it list!" Blast fax kudos all around! We are going to maximize this paradigm shift making sure we meet the ask of each patient client, then distribute the deliverables to the cloud as it applies to client care. Now, if you would remember to put the cover sheets on your TPS reports before they go out and pick up a teamwork opportunity on Saturday, we'll be at peak efficiency. If you could go ahead and come in on Sunday too, that would be grrrrreat!

Specializes in Healthcare risk management and liability.

^^^I was just thinking about putting covers on my TPS reports! And wearing at least 15 pieces of flair.

Specializes in Critical care.

"Grow them."

"Just Sayin' "

"Here's yer sign"

"Thank you for all you do"

....

Specializes in CVICU, Critical Care Transport, PICU,.

Our "Leadership" is always

"Unpacking"

Things that have been

"Siloed"

At our

"World Class"

Newly named

"Health Care System"

Insert eye roll here...

Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
This unit is on the fast track to the "it list!" Blast fax kudos all around! We are going to maximize this paradigm shift making sure we meet the ask of each patient client, then distribute the deliverables to the cloud as it applies to client care. Now, if you would remember to put the cover sheets on your TPS reports before they go out and pick up a teamwork opportunity on Saturday, we'll be at peak efficiency. If you could go ahead and come in on Sunday too, that would be grrrrreat!

I just want to put strychnine in your guacamole.

Specializes in ER.

"Perception is reality," as in, if the patient perceived you as rude, you were rude.

In some ways it's true, I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. But if I'm stating a fact they don't like, that doesn't make me rude. For example, hospital policy prohibits smoking, and the only way they will be happy is if I let them light up.

Perception is reality, in a lot of cases means there is no way to complete the job in a satisfactory manner.

Specializes in Medsurg/ICU, Mental Health, Home Health.

I had a coworker on a medical floor who spoke like someone in an educational nursing video at all times. He's a manager now. (Go figure). Every email he sent (of course he was the head of every committee) highlighted one of the "core values" of the institution, no matter what the subject and highlighted that our hospital was "a great place to work!" He had a "nursing excellence" blog and I really wish I could find it.

Our "Leadership" is always

"Unpacking"

Things that have been

"Siloed"

At our

"World Class"

Newly named

"Health Care System"

Insert eye roll here...

How do you unpack a silo? But for real, I don't know what silo-ing is.

Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
I recently attended a meeting that was held in order for us to meet the new CNO. I took notes and some of his words are verbatim:

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Specializes in Progressive, Intermediate Care, and Stepdown.

Manager interrupts bedside report, "Are you using your bedside nursing report scripts?" Enough said...

Specializes in Emergency.

Thx. op...sounds like the latest BS at my hospital...goes part n parcel with: " we dont have any money and its all your fault" . I've worked jobs in several different professions...nothing new here...corporate america treating human beings like excrement...go figure!

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