In the short amount of time that I\'ve spent in the working world, I\'ve managed to experience several different \"cultures\" amongst companies. I\'ve worked the larger company with the \"small company\" feel, (though the dress code said, \"We\'re huge!\"). I\'ve also seen that same company get bought out by a much larger company, that had the real \"corporate feel\" to it. (Ironically their dress code was much more casual).

I\'ve worked for \"white collar\" union shops, and I\'ve worked for and am currently working for a small company. Out of ALL of these, I like the small company best, and if couldn\'t have that, I\'d take the large company with the small company feel before anything else. My least favorite was the union shop, but that\'s another subject entirely.

But this isn\'t about dress-code, or even the size of a company, this is about an image/feeling put forth in the way one describes their company.

About this time last year the president of our company uttered the phrase \"holistic approach\" during a meeting about our company\'s vision. Immediately my gut sank and for a moment I didn\'t understand why.

The dictionary describes holistic as:

1. Of or relating to holism.
2. Emphasizing the importance of the whole and the interdependence of its parts.
3. Concerned with wholes rather than analysis or separation into parts: holistic medicine; holistic ecology.

That tells me nothing and makes it sound like you think you are \"greater than thou\" without telling me how or why. It sounds as if one that is not great is attempting to \"sound great\" and failing miserably to do so. It\'s an empty \"buzz-word\" and nothing more. What DOES it MEAN if your company is holistic or has a holistic approach? How did you get that way? Why is that different from anyone else? If that isn\'t immediately and evidently clear, then it isn\'t a very good description is it?

Today I heard that word again during a team meeting that was behing held to help us describe what we do and how we do it. I literally shivered when I heard it. Our team is many things, but one thing I HOPE we are not are users of fad-terms and buzz words.

There are companies out there that can get away with this sort of vernacular. But those companies are red-tape-ridden, overly \"corporate\", people-are-numbers, type companies, not the family-feel type company for which I work.

Even so, I still can\'t quite put my finger on what really bothers me about the use of words \"holistic\" and perhaps it boils down to the fact that I like to keep things simple. When someone uses a term, I shouldn\'t have to theorize about what it \"could\" mean. If you handle all aspects of a given trade, etc don\'t go trying to make it sound like its more than it is. Be direct, don\'t be vague or leave room for ambiguity. Speak your piece and get on with it, and don\'t clutter my brain with buzzwords and theory. Let your actions speak for themselves instead of trying to be clever with whatever sludge you may be throwing to make sale.

I don\'t say this to cut-down my team members because thankfully, at least on some level, I think they agree with me. I don\'t believe that, in the end, you\'ll find that word on our marketing site and I am confident we can take a \"holistic approach\" to find a better way to make our point...