Decoding Executive Speak: What They Say vs. What They Really Mean
Lucy Brazier from Executive Support Magazine posted the following on Facebook in February 2025, and I wanted to share it with you…
One of an assistant’s many skills is to make sense of vague, nuanced, and often wildly cryptic executive instructions.
You know the ones. You open your inbox, read the message three times, and think: Are they saying yes? No? Do they even know what they’re asking for?
So, here’s a little guide to what your exec says vs. what they really mean - because we all know there’s a big difference!
What they say: “Let’s circle back.”
> What they mean: I don’t want to deal with this now, and I’m hoping you’ll forget about it. (You won’t forget - you never do!)
What they say: “This is a great idea - let’s explore further.”
> What they mean: I’m intrigued, but I’m not committing to anything. Please go do hours of work on this so I can decide in five seconds.
What they say: “Can you take a first pass at this?”
> What they mean: I have no idea what I want, but I’ll definitely know what I don’t want once you’ve done all the work. (Also, I’ll probably change my mind three more times after that.)
What they say: “Let’s keep this high level.”
> What they mean: Please summarise this in two bullet points, but also somehow anticipate every follow-up question I might have.
What they say: “I’ll defer to you on this.”
> What they mean: If it goes well, I was totally involved. If it goes badly, you made the decision.
What they say: “Can you put some time on my calendar?”
> What they mean: I want to talk about this at some point, but not now, so please perform the impossible and find a free slot that doesn’t exist. (Oh, and make sure it doesn’t conflict with my Pilates class.)
What they say: “This needs more polish.”
> What they mean: I don’t like it, but I can’t tell you why. Please just… make it better.
What they say: “Let’s be mindful of budget.”
> What they mean: Find a way to make this happen for zero dollars, and don’t you dare suggest anything remotely expensive. But also, make it look like we spent a fortune.
What they say: “Can we move this forward?”
> What they mean: Why isn’t this done yet? I have no idea how long things take, but I assumed this was already finished.
What they say: “Let’s take this offline.”
> What they mean: I don’t want to discuss this in front of other people, but I might discuss it later. Or never. You’ll find out.
What they say: “We may have a small problem with…”
> What they mean: Something is on fire, but I’m going to make it sound like a minor inconvenience so no one panics - except you. You should definitely panic!
What they say: “Thanks in advance!”
> What they mean: I expect this to be done immediately, and I will not be following up because I have already assumed you’re making it magically disappear from my worries forever. What have I missed?
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