Core Competency

Definition

The one thing your company claims to be really good at, which is usually just the thing you've been doing the longest. Like a restaurant saying their core competency is food -- technically true but not exactly inspiring.

Example Usage

"Let's stick to our core competencies," argued the VP, which loosely translated to "I'm scared of trying anything new and I'd like to retire in peace."

Related Terms

Beginner

corporate

As a noun in business jargon, refers to anything produced by or for a corporation's internal consumption—like training videos that make you question your will to live or bonds that fund expansion plans. It's become shorthand for the soul-crushing aesthetic of beige conference rooms and stock photo diversity. When something is described as "very corporate," it's never a compliment; it means sanitized, risk-averse, and optimized for maximum inoffensiveness.

💼 Corporate / Business

Intermediate

enablement

Corporate jargon for giving teams the tools, training, or resources they need to do their jobs—because apparently "support" wasn't fancy enough. It's particularly popular in sales contexts, where it means showering reps with content, training, and software they may or may not actually use. The term makes basic workplace support sound like a strategic initiative worthy of its own department and budget.

💼 Corporate / Business

Beginner

allocation

The corporate art of dividing limited resources (usually budget, headcount, or meeting room access) among competing departments who all believe they deserve more. It's basically the business equivalent of splitting a pizza among hungry siblings, except the stakes involve quarterly targets and someone's probably going to complain to HR. The process rarely pleases everyone and typically involves several spreadsheets and at least one passive-aggressive email chain.

💼 Corporate / Business

Beginner

paper trail

Documentation of decisions, communications, and transactions that proves what actually happened when someone inevitably denies everything. The CYA strategy in physical or digital form.

💼 Corporate / Business

Beginner

alliance

A fancy term for 'we're stronger together' that appears in everything from medieval treaties to modern startup partnerships. In business, it's the diplomatic way of saying two companies are collaborating without committing to a merger, acquisition, or actually sharing anything important. Strategic alliances sound impressive in press releases but often dissolve faster than New Year's resolutions.

💼 Corporate / Business

Beginner

high-level overview

A deliberately vague summary that omits all useful details, typically because the speaker doesn't know them or hopes you won't ask follow-up questions. The executive version of 'I didn't do the reading.'

💼 Corporate / Business

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