| Language [n.] | Text or content. “You need to rework the language on the Broker portal.” Suggested by Elise B. |
| Languaged [v.] | Composed a document. “I’m happy to see that you finally languaged the new protocol.” Suggested by Michael D. |
| Last man standing [n.] | The senior-most employee remaining after a round of executive lay-offs. The last man standing usually inherits a set of responsibilities that he is totally unqualified to perform. Suggested by Mad Casual. |
| Lateraled [v.] | To be transferred to another position at your current level. “Instead of the promotion I wanted, I was lateraled to another division.” |
| Lawyer up [v.] | Assembling a team of attorneys, usually after PR efforts have failed to sway public opinion. |
| Lay of the land [n.] | The current state of things. “What’s the lay of the land up your way?” Suggested by Hieronymous B. |
| Lay your silver on the table [v.] | To fully describe the products or services offered during a sales meeting. “Just look each one in the eye and lay your silver on the table.” |
| Lead balloon [n.] | A complete failure. |
| Lead lung [n.] | Spokesperson. “Please direct your questions to Mr. Harris. He’s lead lung until further notice.” |
| Lean in [n.] | The act of appearing engaged and motivated, when you actually just want to throw up. Suggested by KT. |
| Learnings [n.] | New knowledge gained from a given experience. “As a post-mortem, what learnings we can take away from this exercise?” Suggested by Eric. |
| Leave-behind [n.] | Information presented on a sheet of paper. “Make sure you really sell it with the trade show leave-behind.” Suggested by Elise B. |
| Left lane [v.] | To accelerate a project. “I’ll need to requisition more personnel to left lane your ideas.” Suggested by Johny C. |
| Left-handed compliment [n.] | Congratulations that are actually subtle insults. |
| Legal scrub [exp.] | Having a lawyer re-word a document to reduce the risk of future legal action. |
| Lens [n.] | A point of view; a corporate microscope. “I want to make sure that we’re looking at this through the right lens.” Suggested by Ben. |
| Let it drip [v.] | Allowing time for a new idea to become known and understood. “Let it drip a little longer next time and you won’t shock the board.” Suggested by Brian |
| Level-set [v.] | To ensure that everyone is at the same ‘level’ of understanding. “You better level-set your team before you send them on-site.” |
| Leverage [v.] | To make use a resource. |
| Lick and a promise [exp.] | Insufficient preparation. “Tom sent me into the shareholder’s meeting with nothing but a lick and a promise.” |
| Lifehack [n.] | Any method of improving one’s productivity or quality of life. “I’ve discovered this great lifehack that lets me sleep less, but have much more energy.” |
| Lightning rod [n.] | An individual that is a common target. |
| Lights-on initiative [n.] | A key project that is necessary to keep the business afloat, or the ‘lights on’. “Until further notice, I need every soul committed to our lights-on initiatives. Suggested by Al D. |
| LIHOM [n.] | Legend In His/her Own Mind. |
| Line of sight [n.] | A clear view of the goal/target. Helps you bring a little battlefield to the boardroom. Suggested by RADEY. |
| Link in [v.] | To connect or consult with others. |
| Lipstick on a pig [exp.] | An attempt to put a favorable spin on a negative situation. “Tim’s sales numbers are terrible. Even he can’t put lipstick on that pig.” Suggested by Ben S. |
| Locked and loaded [adj.] | Ready to execute a plan or contract. Best used to describe clients who are flush with cash and/or wasted drunk. Suggested by Julian G. |
| LOMBARD [n.] | Lots Of Money But A Real Dumbass. |
| Long con [n.] | Working for years at a job you should have never been hired for, without any oversight, accountability, or line of communication. |
| Long-game [adj.] | In the long term. “See, I understand how things work Long-Game.” Suggested by Iain. |
| Loop-in [v.] | To apprise. “Loop me in on the latest market numbers.” |
| Loose-Tight model [n.] | An excuse to avoid the work of defining guidelines/boundaries, but then blocking suggestions out of perceived risk and fear. Suggested by Betina N. |
| Lose the bubble [v.] | To forget about or neglect. “I’ve lost the bubble on the Henderson account. Where do we stand?” Suggested by Christine C. |
| Lost in the sauce [adj.] | Describes someone lacking direction and a clear job definition. “Make sure the new recruits don’t get lost in the sauce.” Suggested by Lost French. |
| Low decision latitude [exp.] | The inability to make any important choices. Suggested by Paul M. |
| Low-ball [n., v.] | A very low offer. “They heard about our layoffs and started low-balling on their service renewals.” |
| Low-hanging fruit [n.] | Relatively simple problems that can be addressed with minimal effort. Suggested by Phil |
| Luck surface area [n.] | Conscious efforts to increase the likelihood of positive chance events. Pseudo-profound boss says, “Cultivate serendipity by expanding your luck surface area.” |
| Luddites [n.] | People who are hesitant to adopt new technologies. For many, this is a point of pride. |
| Lunch and Learn [n.] | A management trick for adding an extra hour to your workday by holding meetings during lunch. A food bribe may be offered Suggested by Kurt. |
