A Different Drummer

So aparently this blog needs to be work-family-mummy safe, so I couldnt give this post the title it deserved. Suffice to say, I'd need to be able to swear in Maltese (Qisek haq al madonna?) to truly express the sentiments I feel at this topic.

Well it isnt that bad. But I just wanted an excuse to link to the Maltese swearing website.

But it is pretty bad. You see, I like my English language. Anyone who knows me personally knows that I enjoy using the full range and potential of the language, a potential that grows every time you explore it further. And I'm even known, along with most of my friends, to twist the words and meanings into new, not technically correct places. "Ahh what an injustice-shafting" would be one example, read the rest of the shit I write to understand that I am no Shakespeare. Although I was born on his birthday.

So Shakespeare I am not. But defender of my language against horrible corporate whoring, I am. Business English tends to mess with words a little....."action" becomes a verb ("can you action these today, Mr Barker") , powerful words are used so liberally that they use all meaning ("the cycle of our vision development process is built around critical excellence outcomes") and generally, words are used as lubricant in a corporate masturbation process.

Masturbation is one thing however. Full blown unprotected penetration of a wonderful language is another.

I'm talking about inventing entire new words. Not necessary words, like "internet" or "globalisation". Not bottom up culture created words - "funky", "punk" or "blog". These are nasty, souless corporate words that no sane person would ever use unless he was trying to get a promotion into the "Organisational Learning and Development" section of the HR department, or make a few million dollars selling management textbooks.

One of these criminals presented themselves to me today. I got an email from a good friend working for AIESEC International, the global "head office" of AIESEC. In his email signature was a polished looking logo and tagline, promoting AIESEC as an organisation that actively develops "talentship" in young people. Uhh-hhuuuh. No way. I am not having this word enter my language, not without a fight at least. Thinking that this was a word in its early stages of invention within our own organisation (which is primarily not native English speaking), I thought I'd email him and let him know that I was very impressed that our global leadership was so capable and productive that they were inventing new words.

His reply acknowledged that yes, talentship is not an official English word, but that if I looked around I'd discover that all sorts of organisations are using the term these days, and that it was an accepted business term. With the fear trembling through my fingertips as a pressed "search" in Google, I prepared for the worst. And the worst is what I got - talentship is all over the freaking place.

Dr. John Boudreau and Pete Ramstad have an answer. They are pushing the conception of HR one more step up the strategic ladder. They call this new level "talentship".

I call it the worst shafting of the English language in recent memory, and swear to never, ever, ever, use this word, or accepts its use in front of me without challenge, argument, or the use of a trusty swagger cane to beat the word criminal into submission. Out of my cold, dead lips will you prise this horrible monstrosity of a word.