The original meaning of step up was to volunteer, usually for an undesirable project. For example, “Who’s going to step up and lead project X?” Over time, step up evolved to showcase someone that did a good job. For example, “Olivia really stepped up and brought home this sale.”
Stepping up for leadership roles and risky projects often makes for fantastic interviewing stories. Think about that the next time you face the decision to step up or not.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Doug Barg, Grayson Leverenz. Grayson Leverenz said: New Words of the Week – step up – US business English buzzwords defined for International #MBA students. http://su.pr/6V8xkl [...]