The tributes have poured in for Sir John Harvey-Jones, who died this week at the age of 83 following a long illness.
Sir John, best known for his 1990s TV show Troubleshooter, was famous for his no-nonsense approach to business.
Perhaps today HR professionals could pay tribute to Sir John by trying their very best to get through a working day without resorting to waffle and jargon.
Rather than 'needing to engage on the piece around employee satisfaction policy' they could have a chat about making staff happier at work.
Instead of 'seeking to leverage best-of-breed capability in developing human capital strategy', they could do... whatever on earth that means.
The thing is that, as Sir John proved, there is no need to talk in an alien language to be successful in business. All too often, people talk in jargon to look like they understand business - when actually it proves the opposite.
As chairman of ICI from 1982 to 1987, Sir John transformed it from a loss-making company to one making a pre-tax profit of more than £1bn. Later he chaired the Economist, where he is reported to have expressed his frustration with a stilted dinner by dancing on the table.
I'm not suggesting HR people spend today boogieing on office furniture, but perhaps some could benefit from lightening up a bit and trying to speak in normal English. You never know, it might just catch on...
