“Our L&D OKRs are on target, and FWIW I think our EIC and SME should work together to develop employer branding content by EOQ. LMK what you think.”
Copy that?
While devised to simplify communications, the ever-growing list of business acronyms and initialisms is bound to confuse even the most connected executives from time to time, especially when working across departments. Throw into the mix the ones used in Slack messages — AFAIK, it’s NBD — and it may seem your colleague is speaking a different language.
Here’s a list of today’s commonly used acronyms and initialisms in business to help you decode your team members’ DMs or next company-wide presentation. Click on the category below to jump to the related collection of acronyms.
- Business Terms
- Deadlines and Time Estimates
- Frameworks for Customer-Facing Communications
- Global Regions
- Goal-Setting, Performance, and Leadership Approaches
- Titles, C-Suite and Executive
- Titles, Sales and Business Development
- Titles, Technology
- Titles, Various Professionals
- What’s In Your DMs?
Business Terms
B2B: Business To Business
B2C: Business To Consumer
BD: Business Development
BI: Business Intelligence
DEI: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
This may also appear as DE&I or DEIB, with the ‘B’ for belonging.
EQ/EI: Emotional Intelligence
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
GTM: Go To Market
This is usually in reference to the technology, logistics, and marketing strategies of a new product ready to launch.
HQ: Headquarters
KB: Knowledge Base
This is an online library where procedures, frameworks, and product details are documented for internal or external referencing. A knowledge base for internal use may include training documents, while product manuals may be found in an external knowledge base.
KSF: Key Success Factor
The main thing driving a business’s success or an idea or new product’s success.
L&D: Learning and Development
Collective efforts that are specifically designed to develop employees’ skills and knowledge within the company. These educational and training initiatives may be managed by the human resources team, a chief learning officer, a chief talent development officer, or by individual team leaders.
LOB: Line Of Business
This refers to the product or service (or group of products or services) that a company offers, as well as the process the company uses to deliver them. For instance, manufacturing electric vehicles is a line of business.
M&A: Merger and Acquisition
The process of two businesses merging as one or one business acquiring another.
MTM: Management Team Meeting
MVP: Minimum Viable Product
An initial iteration of a product delivered to customers. It is often used to validate interest and attain feedback for future improvements and development.
NGO: Nongovernmental Organization
NPS: Net Promoter Score
This score represents the overall customer perception of your brand. The metric is commonly used in market research and as an indicator of business growth.
POC: Proof Of Concept
This is a business idea or method that’s ready to be tested for its feasibility and practicality.
R&D: Research and Development
The collective efforts toward market research and product development. This term can account for company-wide initiatives or refer to a dedicated R&D team.
SD: Sales Development
SMB: Small to Medium Size Business
SME: Small to Medium Size Enterprise
SOP: Standard Operating Procedure
T&D: Training and Development
Similar to L&D, these initiatives can be managed by a dedicated CLO or CTDO or by individual team leaders.
WFH: Work From Home
Deadlines and Time Estimates
ASAP: As Soon As Possible
BIW: Bi-weekly
COB: Close Of Business
This term can be used interchangeably with EOB.
EOB: End Of Business
This term can be used interchangeably with COB.
EOD: End Of Day
Note that EOD can mean after regular business hours, as opposed to COB or EOB.
EOM: End Of Month
EOQ: End Of Quarter
EOW: End Of Week
EOY: End Of Year
ETA: Estimated Time of Arrival
FY: Fiscal Year
MoM: Month Over Month
QoQ: Quarter Over Quarter
TBD: To Be Determined
YoY: Year Over Year
YTD: Year to date
Frameworks for Customer-Facing Communications
CARES: Communication, Accountability, Responsiveness, Empathy, Solution
A framework for communicating with both external and internal stakeholders.
GUEST: Greet, Understand, Education, Satisfy, Thank
A framework for communicating with both external and internal stakeholders.
HEAT: Hear, Empathize, Apologize, Take Action
A framework for communicating with both external and internal stakeholders.
HEART: Hear, Empathize, Apologize, Respond, Thank
A framework for communicating with both external and internal stakeholders.
LAARC: Listen, Acknowledge, Assess, Respond, Confirm
This framework prioritizes actively listening to a customer’s concerns and reasons for resistance, asking questions to assess the situation, thoughtfully responding with a solution, and ensuring the customer feels satisfied with the result.
LAER: Listen, Acknowledge, Explore, Respond
Similar to LAARC, this customer-facing communications and problem-solving framework prioritizes listening to the customer and ensuring they know they’ve been heard and understood. Then, question-asking and dialogue is used to further explore the situation before responding with a proposed solution.
Global Regions
AMER: North America, Central America, and South America Regions
AMEA: Asia, Middle East, and Africa Regions
ANZ: Australia and New Zealand Regions
APAC: Asia Pacific Region
EMEA: Europe, Middle East, and Africa Regions
LATAM: Latin America Region
NA: North America Region
Senior Executive DEI Think Tank is a criteria-based membership community for chief diversity officers and senior-level DEI leaders at large organizations to share difference-making tactics, trade valuable resources, and seek the counsel of experienced peers in a private, confidential setting.
Do you qualify?Goal-Setting, Performance, and Leadership Approaches
CIGAR: Current Reality, Ideal, Gaps, Action, Review
This is a coaching framework in which an employee’s current situation is defined, an ideal outcome or objective is identified, gaps between the current situation and reaching the outcome or objective are explored, action is decided on and taken to close those gaps, and the process is reviewed to determine success.
GROW: Goal, Reality, Options, Will/Way Forward
A coaching framework to help an employee define a goal, their current situation, the ways they can reach that goal, and then take action to achieve it.
KPI: Key Performance Indicator
A critical performance metric that is tied to the progress of a specific objective or goal.
KPM: Key Performance Metric
A quantifiable measurement of an organization’s performance, which can also be used as a KPI.
MBO: Management by Objectives
This management style benchmarks and measures specific performance goals that are agreed on between the manager and employee.
MBWA: Management by Walking Around
A management style that involves regularly observing and listening to your team members to monitor performance, gather feedback, identify challenges, and acknowledge efforts.
OKRs: Objectives and Key Results
This is a framework for goal-setting in which measurable goals are defined and the progress toward the goals, as well as their outcomes, are tracked.
PRO: Playoff Season, Regular Season, Off Season
This is a business mindset framework that applies sports leadership lessons to leading a business through chaotic times. It focuses on what should happen through each phase of a sports season: off season, regular season, and playoff season. Read more about the PRO mindset here.
REAL: Respect, Empathy, Active Collaboration, Listening
A leadership style that adheres to these four priorities when engaging with team members and colleagues.
SERVANT: Selfless, Empathetic, Resolute, Virtuous, Authentic, Needful, Thorough
A leadership style that adheres to these seven priorities when engaging with team members and colleagues.
SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely
This framework includes five criteria to consider to ensure a goal or objective is justifiable before taking action on it.
SWOT: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats
The analysis of these four factors is a framework that’s intended to identify various positive and negative aspects of a business plan or idea before pursuing it.
Titles, C-Suite and Executive
BOD: Board of Directors
CAO:
Chief Accounting Officer
Chief Administrative Officer
Chief Analytics Officer
CCO:
Chief Commercial Officer
Chief Communications Officer
Chief Community Officer
Chief Compliance Officer
Chief Culture Officer
Chief Customer Officer
CDEIO: Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer
CDO:
Chief Data Officer
Chief Digital Officer
Chief Diversity Officer
CEO: Chief Executive Officer
CFO: Chief Financial Officer
CGO: Chief Growth Officer
CHRO: Chief Human Resources Officer
CIO:
Chief Information Officer
Chief Innovation Officer
CLO:
Chief Learning Officer
Chief Legal Officer
CMO:
Chief Marketing Officer
Chief Metaverse Officer
COO: Chief Operating Officer
CPO: Chief People Officer
CRO: Chief Revenue Officer
CSO:
Chief Security Officer
Chief Sustainability Officer
CTDO: Chief Talent Development Officer
CTO:
Chief Talent Officer
Chief Technology Officer
Chief Trust Officer
CXO: Chief Experience Officer
ED: Executive Director
GC: General Counsel
MD: Managing Director
MP: Managing Partner
SVP: Senior Vice President
VP: Vice President
Titles, Sales and Business Development
AA: Account Assistant
ABM: Area Business Manager
AD: Assistant Director
AE: Account Executive
AM: Account Manager
BA: Business Analyst
BDR: Business Development Representative
EAM: Executive Account Manager
SDM: Sales Development Manager
SDR: Sales Development Representative
Titles, Technology
BE Developer: Back-End Developer
DA: Data Analyst
FE Developer: Front-End Developer
JS Developer: JavaScript Developer
Titles, Various Professionals
AD: Art Director
CEBS: Certified Employee Benefits Specialist
CFP: Certified Financial Planner
CO: Compliance Officer
CPA: Certified Public Accountant
CSR: Customer Service Representative
EA: Executive Assistant
ED: Editorial Director
EIC: Editor-In-Chief
ME: Managing Editor
PA: Personal Assistant
PIO: Public Information Officer
PM:
Production Manager
Project Manager
POC: Point of Contact
PRO: Public Relations Officer
SME: Subject Matter Expert
VA: Virtual Assistant
What’s In Your DMs?
AFAIK: As Far As I Know
AKA: Also Known As
AMA: Ask Me Anything
ATM: At The Moment
BC: Because
BID: Break It Down
BRB: Be Right Back
BTW: By The Way
DM: Direct Message
DYK: Did You Know?
FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out
FTW: For The Win
FWIW: For What It’s Worth
FYI: For Your Information
IAC: In Any Case
IAM: In A Meeting
ICYMI: In Case You Missed It
IDC: I Don’t Care
IDK: I Don’t Know
IMHO: In My Humble Opinion
IMO: In My Opinion
IRL: In Real Life
LMK: Let Me Know
LOL: Laughing Out Loud
NBD: No Big Deal
NP: No Problem
NRN: No Reply Necessary
NVM: Never Mind
OT: Off Topic
TBH: To Be Honest
TL;DR/TLDR: Too Long; Didn’t Read
Usually followed with a colon and a brief synopsis to replace or summarize a longer document, discussion, or meeting.
YOLO: You Only Live Once
Does your team use business acronyms and initialisms that are not on this list? Send them our way at editor@seniorexecutive.com.
