Action Item

Definition

A task assigned during a meeting that everyone writes down and nobody does. The plural form, action items, is the leading cause of follow-up meetings in the Western world.

Example Usage

"I've got 47 action items from today's meeting," sighed the project manager, already knowing that 46 of them would age like fine wine in a forgotten Jira backlog.

Related Terms

Beginner

Stakeholder

Anyone who has an opinion about your project, which turns out to be literally everyone in the building plus several people who left the company years ago. Managing stakeholders is like herding cats, except the cats all have conflicting priorities and send passive-aggressive emails.

💼 Corporate / Business

Intermediate

seat at the table

Being included in important decisions, a metaphorical privilege that somehow requires constant reminding that you're supposed to be grateful for it.

💼 Corporate / Business

Beginner

vice-president

A senior executive who serves as second-in-command, ready to step into the top role when needed, or more commonly, someone who runs an important division while collecting an impressive title. In startups, vice-presidents multiply like rabbits; in established corporations, becoming one actually means something. The corporate equivalent of being heir to the throne, except with more spreadsheets.

💼 Corporate / Business

Beginner

responder

Someone who answers a call to action, whether that's an emergency, a survey, or a wedding invitation that should have been sent back weeks ago. In emergency services, these are the heroes who show up when things go sideways; in marketing, they're the rare souls who actually click on your email. The term makes "person who responds" sound official enough to justify a title.

💼 Corporate / Business

Advanced

bike-shedding

Wasting time on trivial details while ignoring complex, important issues. Named after spending hours debating bike shed color instead of nuclear reactor design.

💼 Corporate / Business

Advanced

glass cliff

The phenomenon where women and minorities are more likely to be promoted to leadership positions during crises when failure is probable, effectively setting them up as scapegoats. The ceiling breaks only when the building is on fire.

💼 Corporate / Business

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