The word “grab” has become the second most popular word in business today, after “Exemplify.” It is employed by up and comers who wish to appear so busy they only have time to grab things: “Let me grab my laptop!” for instance, instead of “Let me go back to my office and get my laptop!”
“Those who’ve positioned themselves as grabbers are 245 times more likely to advance than those perceived as having the time to go and get,” says Marissa Finnerston, CEO of recruitment firm PlumBux.
The three most common examples of how the word is used:
- “Let’s grab a sandwich!” – insinuating the grabber doesn’t even have time to get an entire lunch
- “Let’s grab coffee (or other drink)!” – insinuating the grabber doesn’t even have time to grab a sandwich
- “Let’s grab a minute!” – though the actual time grabbed is usually longer, averaging one minute and 12 seconds.
A fourth – Let’s grab Mary!” (or Steve, or other variants) – has been banned by most Human Resources departments.
“The key is knowing what to grab and what not to,” says Finnerston, citing the case of a former VP whose career plummeted after she told her CEO she was going to grab a few minutes to write the company’s annual report.
