1.
What they say: “The community-level data you asked for is ready; we will compile it and send it across to you first thing tomorrow morning.”
What they mean: We will now be making frantic calls to our field assistant, so that we can get the data by 8 PM, after which the programme head will spend the night compiling it.
2.
What they say: “We follow a five-year business plan.”
What they mean: The goals outlined in that business plan are likely to change every quarter.
3.
What they say: “We have an exit strategy ready.”
What they mean: We just don’t know when the exit will happen.
4.
What they say: “All you have to do is sign the contract for now, we will start the project even if the fund disbursement is delayed.”
What they mean: All we have to do is delay the entire team’s paycheques.
5.
What they say: “We have adequate resources on our team, in case the programme head is unavailable.”
What they mean: Our CEO is the standby resource for all projects.
