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How to Leverage Your Learnings
By jpollack | July 25, 2008
One of the great strengths of American English is its adaptability. Unlike many other languages, it tends to welcome new words easily – the verb “to Google” is perhaps the most famous, recent arrival. This linguistic mutability reflects America’s wonderfully informal, innovative spirit, but also sometimes comes at a price: the common abuse, misuse and overuse of certain words – especially in politics and business.
As a speechwriter, I like to say that Washington is where good words go to die. The current administration, for example, has relied so heavily on the words “freedom” and “liberty” that the words have acquired entire baggage trains of subsidiary political connotations, which vary greatly depending on your political orientation. And the next administration will surely adopt its own rhetorical arsenal, probably to similar, diminishing effect.
As a business consultant, I often encounter an entirely different set of overtaxed words – words that should be put through the office shredder and mulched for use on the traffic islands out in the parking lot. First among them is “leverage.” How many times every day do people suggest we “leverage” a presentation, a strategy, a memo, an idea? Start counting. Somehow, it’s as if the word leverage has become the Swiss Army Knife of business jargon, a proxy for vaguely articulated thoughts that would be much better expressed through other words.
Leverage does not mean reuse, repurpose, copy, adapt, integrate or modify – all noble, labor-saving practices which I support. According to Webster’s Third New International Dictionary (Unabridged), leverage is not even a verb. To lever, by contrast, is a verb; it means to pry, raise, move or work with, as if with a lever. Why not say exactly what we mean, by choosing our words more carefully?
The other word that needs shredding and mulching is “learnings.” More and more, I hear people ask offer to summarize the “learnings” from a meeting, a project or a conference. As I write this, the red squiggly line of Microsoft Word suggests that this word “learnings” doesn’t even exist – a suspicion confirmed by my trusty Webster’s. We don’t learn learnings; we learn lessons. Or perhaps we didn’t lesson our learns in grammar school?
To reiterate, one of the great gifts of American English is its flexibility. Use it and love it. But try not to abuse our friendly lexicon, even unintentionally. So please, the next time someone suggests that we leverage their learnings, let’s send those ailing words to Washington.
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