DeWese--Drowning in Decrees

Now I'm going to ban some vocabulary. Be it resolved and decreed that the words "strategy" and "strategic" are banned from printers' vocabulary. I am plumb fed up and exasperated with people telling me about their "strategic directions," "strategic alliances" and "action strategies."

I sometimes gag when I hear a CEO say, "Our strategic direction is to become the preeminent strategic communications company in the Hot Coffee, Mississippi, market." And, I'm nauseous when I read, "Worldwide Graphics CEO Barney Quagmire announced, 'This strategic acquisition of Quad Cities Letterpress is another example of our continuing strategy to acquire companies that fit our nine-legged strategic stool strategic concept.' " Instead I would love, just once, to hear a leader say, "We are going to become a consistent, 10 percent pre-tax profit printer, and this is how we're going to do it."