In my years working as a consultant, I have encountered some incredible idioms. These are used so frequently, it’s like a secret code that’s really not secret anymore. Weave these into conversation and you can convince anyone you work for one of the Big 4 firms. Here are my top ten, in no particular order:
1) “Let’s not try to boil the ocean, here.”
2) “I feel like I’m drinking from the fire hose.”
3) “Let me quarterback this proposal for a minute.”
4) “What the client is asking for is impossible, that dog don’t hunt.”
5) “We’re looking for a simplified approach, so let’s give them one throat to choke.”
6) “The team is misguided if they think we’re going in that direction. That’s a windmill we’re not going to tilt.”
7) “I like the picture you’re painting, but that’s all motherhood and apple pie. What are the details I need to know?”
8) “I just want to make sure we’re all singing from the same sheet of music.”
9) “Let’s figure out how we’re going to move the needle with this program.”
10) “I think it’s time we improved our bench strength in this core competency.”
