From Fortune · Orianna Rosa Royle · · 2m
Cisco's chief bans unclear acronyms from meetings
Jeetu Patel terminates meetings where company-specific jargon is used, saying new hires feel too stupid to ask what terms mean.
In brief
Jeetu Patel terminates meetings where company-specific jargon is used, saying new hires feel too stupid to ask what terms mean. Cisco's president Jeetu Patel stops meetings using unclear acronyms, arguing that company-specific jargon excludes new employees who fear asking for clarification. Originally reported by…
Cisco's president kills meetings over acronyms
Jeetu Patel, Cisco's president and chief product officer, terminates meetings when company-specific acronyms are used. He sees unclear jargon as a barrier to inclusion.
“If there's a meeting and there's acronyms that are used, there are times that I've just terminated the meeting.”
The JP story that started it all
Patel once heard staff say you have to get JP to approve something without realizing they meant him. He does not go by JP and was puzzled by the reference.
“I'm like, who's JP? He's like, that's Jeetu Patel. I don't even go by JP.”
Why acronyms hurt new employees
Patel estimates Cisco loses five to ten percent of workers yearly. That means about nine thousand new people annually, or twenty seven thousand in three years, roughly a third of the workforce.
New hires stay silent rather than ask
New employees do not know company-specific acronyms but feel too stupid to ask in meetings. They stay quiet instead of seeking clarification, creating a communication breakdown.
“They feel too stupid to ask because they don't want to be intrusive and invasive in a meeting.”
The efficiency problem Patel sees
Two thirds of staff use acronyms thinking it is efficient. But a third of the company does not understand what is being discussed, making nothing truly efficient.
“How is anything efficient that a third of your company does not even understand what you're talking about?”
Patel's solution: empower new hires
Patel tells new employees at orientation they have full agency to stop any meeting if communication is unclear. Senior leaders must speak in terms everyone understands.
“You have full agency to stop any meeting at any point in time if the communication is not clear.”
Other CEOs have strict meeting rules too
Jeff Bezos bans PowerPoints and requires six page memos read silently for thirty minutes. Scott Kirby caps meetings at four hours daily and wants them conversational, not slide presentations.
Jamie Dimon demands full attention and prep
JPMorgan's CEO Jamie Dimon expects staff to do pre-reads and give him one hundred percent attention. He tells people to close devices if they appear to be reading email or getting notifications.
“If you have an iPad in front of me and it looks like you're reading your email or getting notifications, I tell you to close the damn thing.”
The takeaway
Cisco's president Jeetu Patel stops meetings using unclear acronyms, arguing that company-specific jargon excludes new employees who fear asking for clarification.
