#0320 – Micromanaging the Staff, - Ang, mater, ESL Podcast McQuillan Jeff mp3+PDF

#0320 – Micromanaging the Staff

#0320 – Micromanaging the Staff, - Ang, mater, ESL Podcast McQuillan Jeff mp3+PDF

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
English as a Second Language Podcast
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 320 – Micromanaging the Staff
GLOSSARY
to check up on (someone) –
to review someone’s progress; to see how
someone is doing
* Miranda asked another supervisor to check up on her employees while she was
away working in another office last week.
task –
a small project; something that one needs to do and finish, especially at
work
* Becky has to finish three tasks today: call the lawyer, finish the report, and send
the invitations.
to micromanage –
to control all the details of how someone does his or her work
* Sue is always micromanaging her employees, even telling them the color of
pen they should use.
to observe –
to watch something without interfering; to see how something is
happening, but not doing anything to change it
* The researchers are observing the children as they play with each other to
study human behavior.
to look over (someone’s) shoulders –
to closely watch someone while they’re
doing something
* I know that we need to finish this proposal as soon as possible, but it doesn’t
help me work any faster if you look over my shoulders all the time.
trust –
a belief that another person is good or reliable; a belief that another
person will not do anything to hurt oneself
* Alice lost her trust in her doctor when he shared her private medical information
with another patient.
meticulous –
very detail-oriented; very careful; paying attention to all the details
* Qian’s handwriting is meticulous, with all the letters being the same size.
to monitor –
to observe; to watch something closely; to see how something
changes over time
* The nurse is monitoring the patient’s blood pressure.
resentful –
feeling unhappy about something that is not fair or right
* Terry became resentful when his mother told him he couldn’t use her car
anymore.
1
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2007). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
English as a Second Language Podcast
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 320 – Micromanaging the Staff
to have more faith in (something) –
to trust in something; to believe that
something is real or possible
* Your boss would have more faith in you if you finished all your reports on time.
incompetent –
unable to do something; incapable of doing something; without
the ability to do what one is supposed to do
* The new cashier is incompetent. She can’t even count money!
control freak –
a person who wants to be in control of everything all the time; a
person who cannot let other people lead a project; a person who wants to control
every detail of something
* Polly is such a control freak that she won’t even let her husband put the dishes
away, because she’s worried he might put them in the wrong places.
tactic –
strategy; a way of doing something
* What is your company’s tactic for increasing sales this year?
disgruntled –
unhappy, disappointed, and annoyed about something that has
happened
* The factory workers are disgruntled because they’ve been asked to work an
extra hour each day without more pay.
to butt in –
to become involved in something that one shouldn’t be a part of
* Harold butted into our private conversation, even though no one was talking to
him.
fine by me –
a phrase meaning that one has no objections to something; a
phrase meaning “okay,” “it’s alright,” or “that’s fine.”
* I asked Katie if we could come to her party, and she said, “Fine by me.”
2
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2007). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
English as a Second Language Podcast
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 320 – Micromanaging the Staff
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. Why is Jane checking up on Rudy?
a) Because he is sick and needs a medical exam.
b) Because she wants to learn how to do his task.
c) Because she wants to see how he’s doing the task.
2. How do Rudy and Jena feel about Jane?
a) They think she’s a wonderful boss.
b) They think she’s resentful of them.
c) They think she doesn’t trust them.
______________
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?
trust
The word “trust,” in this podcast, means a belief that another person is good or
reliable: “It’s difficult to have a good relationship without trust.” The verb “to trust”
has the same meaning: “Shane lied to me once, and now I can’t trust him
anymore.” A “trust” is also a legal arrangement that gives one person or
organization control of money until someone reaches a certain age: “When Kira’s
grandfather died, his money went into a trust for her, and she’ll be able to spend
the money when she turns 18.” A “charitable trust” is an organization that
receives money from many people, invests that money, and then gives it to other
organizations that help other people: “This organization helps the poor, and
receives most of its money from a charitable trust.”
to butt in
In this podcast, the phrase “to butt in” means to become involved in something
that one shouldn’t be a part of: “Renee had to ask her mother-in-law to stop
butting in every time she argued with her husband.” The phrase “to butt in” also
means to interrupt, or to speak when someone else is speaking: “Vance was
explaining his opinion, but another student butted in and started telling him he
was wrong.” The rude phrase “to butt out” is used to tell someone to stop being
involved in a situation, or to go away: “What I do with my life is my business, so
please butt out and stop telling me what to do!” Finally, the phrase “to butt
heads” means to argue, or to not agree on something: “The two men are always
butting heads at the office, arguing about whose ideas are better.”
3
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2007). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
English as a Second Language Podcast
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 320 – Micromanaging the Staff
CULTURE NOTE
In the United States, people have many different “management styles,” or ways
of leading people at work. Here are descriptions of four common management
styles.
In an “autocratic” management style, the manger has all the “power” (ability to
make decisions and do things). The autocratic manager decides what needs to
be done and tells his or her employees exactly how to do it. Most people do not
like to work for autocratic managers, but sometimes the style is very “effective”
(good at getting things finished quickly, well, and inexpensively). Most “military
officers” (people who work in the army, navy, etc.) are autocratic managers.
A “paternalistic” management style is one where the manager acts more like a
parent. The paternalistic manager still has all the power, but he or she does
what is best for the employees. Many employees like working in this
environment, but it isn’t good for the business. Also, the employees “tend” (are
likely to do something) to become dependent on the manager and are unable to
make their own decisions.
A “democratic” management style is like a “democracy” (a system of government
where everyone has the right to vote). Employees help the manager in making
decisions. There is a lot of communication and employees feel that they are
“valued” (that the company needs them). Unfortunately, it takes a long time to
make decisions in this environment, and for that reason, it isn’t always a good
“option” (choice) for businesses in fast-moving industries.
Finally, a manager with a “laissez-faire” management style gives his or her
employees “independence” (the ability to make one’s own decisions) and tries
not to control their work. This may be good for very “creative” (imaginative)
employees who are designing products, but in other environments it can become
“chaotic” (disorganized and confusing).
______________
Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – c
4
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2007). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
English as a Second Language Podcast
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 320 – Micromanaging the Staff
COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 320:
Micromanaging the Staff.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 320. I’m your host, Dr.
Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in
beautiful Los Angeles, California.
Visit our website at eslpod.com. Take a look at our new ESL Podcast Blog,
where you can get the latest news from ESL Podcast on the things we’re doing,
as well as comments and ideas from Lucy and me. While you’re on our
homepage, you can also download a Learning Guide to this episode that
contains all of the vocabulary, definitions, sample sentences, additional
definitions not talked about on the podcast, cultural notes, and a complete
transcript of this episode.
This episode is called “Micromanaging the Staff.” It’s a dialogue between Barry
and Jane about how you should manage, or how you should supervise other
people. Let’s get started.
[start of dialogue]
Barry: Where are you going?
Jane: I’m checking up on Rudy. I gave him a task an hour ago and I want to
make sure he’s doing it right.
Barry: You’re not micromanaging again, are you?
Jane: Of course not. I’m only going to observe his work and make sure that he’s
following the detailed instructions I gave him.
Barry: That sounds like micromanaging. If you’re always looking over their
shoulders, how are you ever going to develop trust with your employees?
Jane: My employees will earn
my
trust by being meticulous with their work.
Good employees don’t mind me monitoring their progress.
Barry: That may be true, but I heard Rudy and Jena talking and they said they’re
feeling a little resentful that you don’t have more faith in their ability. They feel
like you’re treating them as though they’re incompetent.
5
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2007). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Podobne

: Strona Główna

: [Meditation] Kundalini Yoga - Chakra Dhyana, [Meditation] Kundalini Yoga - Chakra Dhyana [MP3-VBR]

: 000 Enigma - The Platinum Collection. 3CD. 2009, Mp3 Enigmatic, Enigma, Enigma - The Platinum Collection. 3CD. 2009, Playlisty, info, cover

: 000 Enigmatic Hits Vol.01-09, Mp3 Enigmatic, Enigma, 100% Enigmatic Hits Vol.01-09. 2001-2003

: 000 Enigmatic Best Hits. 2012, Mp3 Enigmatic, Enigma, Enigmatic Best Hits. 2012, Playlista, info, cover

: 01.06 South Park - Death [Napisy PL] s01e06, ## %% ## %% ## DO NAUKI ANG South Park Sezon 1 [Napisy PL]

: 01.07 South Park - Pink Eye [Napisy PL] s01e07, ## %% ## %% ## DO NAUKI ANG South Park Sezon 1 [Napisy PL]