10. According to the text, are the following statements true or false?

True False

1 Managers should be rewarded for being good at communicating with their staff.  

2 A team which works well together is likely to make a business more successful.  

3 It is more difficult to measure good management skills than traditional indicators

of performance such as sales and profits.  

4 Staff sometimes have some influence on how much their managers are paid.  

5 There is a danger that staff appraisal of managers may prevent weak

employees from being disciplined effectively.  

6 Staff feel more motivated if they are allowed to appraise their managers.  

11. Discuss the following issues in relation to the article.

1. What are the benefits to a company of the ‘pink and fluffy’ skills mentioned in the text?

2. Do you agree with the writer that these skills are just as important as the more traditional measures of performance? Why/why not?

3. Which kinds of management skills are regarded as important by businesses in your country?

4. Is it possible to learn these skills? How can people be taught to be better at:

listening and communicating teamwork motivating staff

5. Some people argue that the growing importance of communication skills in business is the result of having more women in management positions. Do you agree?

6. Look at the list of management skills below. Try to rank them in order of importance. Would you add any other features to the list?

1. good communication skills

2. leading by example

3. openness

4. customer focus

5. collaboration skills

6. delegation skills

7. ability to motivate staff

8. knowledge of market

9. problem-solving skills

10. ability to maintain staff discipline

Language Development

12. Put each of the following suffixes in its correct place in the sentences below.

-phobia (fear or hatred of) -cide (killer, killing) -gamy (marriage)

1. a Those rose-bushes need protection. Spray them with insecti_______

2. b He gets very tense and nervous in enclosed spaces like lifts and the underground. He suffers

3. from clauslro_______

4. c The custom of having more than one wife or husband is known as ‘poly_______’.

5. d Some people, and some animals, are terrified of water. This aversion is known as aqua______.

6. e His problems overwhelmed him and he finally committed sui_________

7. f When he was arrested and charged with bi_______, both his wives stood by him.

8. g His Anglo-________comes from some bad experiences he had in England.

9. h Following the man’s death, his wife was charged with homi_____.