Unit 3. Discussing Business with Professionals

Unit 3 Discussing Business with Professionals

Reading

Task. Read the following part of the interview with Jack Welch, the former C.E.O. of General Electric and answer the questions that follow.

Ken Auletta: In your recent book, you talk about encouraging your executives to get rid of C performers, and to focus on and retain the A and B performers. If you get rid of all of the C performers, what do you do with all the C’s? What does the country do with all the C’s?

Jack Welch: I think there are all kinds of ball clubs. Business, in my mind, is like sports. It’s a game. You build the best team you know how to build. And people go on to do different things after their careers, or they move to different companies, or they move to different teams. But, in the end, for some reason, New York is able to win. As a Red Sox fan, I’m able to bemoan this fact: you’re down 2–0 against Oakland and, damn it, you come back and win three games and now you win last night. That’s what winning is all about. That’s what business is about. It’s about building the best team. And, whether it’s the Giants or the Jets, people are trying every day to clean out those that aren’t good enough and put in players that are better. And that’s what business has to do. Now, you can do it in a humane way; this is not about calling somebody in and saying, “Go home tomorrow.”

Ken Auletta: But if everyone in business wants to have the winning team, and you weed out the C’s – you want government to hire them?

Jack Welch: There are plenty of companies for everybody. There are different leagues that everybody plays in. There is the small local operation that somebody can do very well in, there’s also the global enterprise in high technology that somebody else can do very well in. There’s a place. This is not a place where we’re going to have a field where we’re going to put a whole crowd of C’s, Ken. Don’t paint that picture.

Ken Auletta: Let’s say that I’m the son of a C performer who works for you at General Electric. And I corner you at the breakfast, and I say to you, “Mr. Welch, you laid off my dad, or your company did, and he was a C. He’s a good guy, he’s better than a C. I don’t think you gave him a chance.” You say?

Jack Welch: That’s not going to happen, because – and in the book I say this – I’ve never laid off anyone in my life that was surprised. Never happened. People go through a couple of cycles of improvement. The whole thing about this game is candor. Tuesday night I was at Northwestern and the University of Chicago, and then last night I was at the University of Michigan. And I asked classes there – they’ve all worked in companies – How many of you have worked for the company that gave candid appraisals? Ten to fifteen per cent of the kids in the room worked for companies where people looked people in the eye and told them how they were doing. There’s this silly, ridiculous false kindness that’s laden all over corporate America. Where you come in to your boss and you say what you’d like to do for the career, and the boss says, “Fully qualified,” and back into the file it goes. And then you get to be fifty-five years old or so, and some new boss comes along and says, Jesus, you’re really bottom-ten-seed player. You say, “Wait a minute, I’ve been told for twenty-five years that I’m OK. I’ve got all this paperwork here to show you that.” That game’s been going on as long as business has been played. And until you get a culture where people are required every year to lay out their top twenty, their middle seventy, and their bottom ten, and every employee who joins the company knows that’s the rule of the game, that’s the way it is, you can’t do this.

You can’t give somebody a raise, you can’t give them a bonus, you can’t give them a stock option, without sending it in with the category that they’re in, and if they’re in the bottom ten, they get zero raises, zero stock options, they don’t get a bit of bonus, they get zero. That’s the message, that you’re in the bottom ten. And so there are no surprises to anyone in this system.

Ken Auletta: You begin your book talking about the influence of your mother on your management precepts. And you go through those precepts and you say that you don’t get them from the famous Harvard Business School, that many of them derive from being an only child of a very forceful woman. And, in fact, when you go through the points you make about management, many of them are the soft stuff of management, the human stuff. Could you explain what you mean and why the soft stuff became much more important to you than any business plans and strategic retreats, etc.?

Jack Welch: It’s back again to fielding the best team. It’s back to constantly trying to get the layers of bureaucracy out of a company, the things that just sit on people – the nonsensical meetings, the massive reports – and trying to get into the soul of every person. It’s trying to take the human spirit and raise it to another level. So you do everything possible to do that. Now, you don’t succeed all the time, and bureaucrats still exist, and people still have nonsense sessions, budgets. The whole idea of the budget review is that the boss sits there with his assistant and demands that you show up and deliver four, and you come into the meeting with twenty-five charts showing the ad market is terrible, the economy is terrible, this is terrible, and the most you can deliver is two, and then you sit there in this dull presentation and battle all day, and you wind up with this terrific meeting, and three is the answer. And you all go home happy. The boss has ratcheted you up from two to three, and the employees go back high-fiving, we didn’t have to give the son of a bitch four. I mean, it’s nuts. It’s madness.

Ken Auletta: So just share with the audience, if you would, what your mother taught you?

Jack Welch: My mother taught me how to win and lose. That you could do both and do them right. She told me every day, that’s the way it is, that’s the way it is. You better recognize it, see it that way, and deal with it. And she constantly knew how to hug, and she knew how to kick. And the combination of hugging and kicking is always an important part of managing. It’s an important part of leadership.

Questions

1. What part of the interview did you like best?

2. What is Mr. Welch’s point of view about business?

3. Who does he call A, B and C’s?

4. What business culture is he for?

5. What points does he make about management?

6. What does he mean when he says that kicking and hugging is an important part of managing?

Learning the Basic Vocabulary

A. Match the words on the left with their definitions on the right. Use a dictionary if you need.

team (n)	a person who makes decisions, carries out plans/puts things into practice
candor(n)(Am.E.)	an event at which sth is offered, shown, said, explained
executive(n)	to fight against sb/sth
retain (v)	complicated official system which has a lot of rules, processes
cycle(s) (n)	people listening to sth/watching sth;
appraisal (n)	to keep sth
bureaucracy (n)	a group of people working together
nonsensical (n)	period during which sth returns
presentation (n)	not reasonable or sensible
battle (v)	sincere honesty and truthfulness
budget (n)	list of proposed expenditure
audience (n)	evaluation

B. Word-building. Fill in the table where possible. Use a dictionary. Mind that there may be more than one noun or adjective in a box.

verb	noun	adjective	adverb
move
		executive
		local
win
	improvement
	appraisal
		qualified
	influence
require
		strategic
	nonsense
		humane
hug
kick

Useful Language

A. Explain the following word-combinations from the interview with Jack Welch. Give their Russian equivalents.

• a bottom-ten-seed player

• give somebody a raise

• fielding the best team

• management precepts

• bemoan the fact

• ratch somebody up

• nonsensical meetings

• massive reports

• to get into the soul of every person

• wind up with the meeting

• combination of hugging and kicking

• go back high fiving

B. Fill in the gaps with the words from the box.

 weed out	 career		 global
 local		 improvement
 lay out

1. And people go on to do different things and their _____, or they move to different companies, or they move to different teams.

2. If you want to have the winning team, you _____ the C’s.

3. There is the small _____ operation that somebody can do very well in, there’s the _____ enterprise in high technology that somebody else can do very well in.

4. People go through a couple of cycles of _____.

5. And until you get a culture where people are required every year to _____ their top twenty, their middle seventy, and their bottom ten….

Focusing on Grammar

A. Identify the use of the modal verbs in the sentences, then write a synonymous expression(s).

E.g.		You ought to be more patient.	advice	I advice you
1.	Can I give you a hand with that problem?
2.	A manager must not conduct a meeting without getting well ready.
3.	I have to see the top manager for consultation.
4.	A manager needs to be more persuasive.

B. Fill in the blanks as in the example.

Modal		Use	Synonymous expression
E.g.	May I not be working over time?	polite request	I’d appreciate if you allowed me not to work overtime.
1.	Shall we go to the meeting?	suggestion	____________
2.	She could lead the team work professionally.	_______	____________
3.	I _____ improve my skill in management.	obligation	It’s urgent that I’d improve my skill in management.
4.	You _____ work from 9 to 5.	obligation	You are supposed to work from 9 to 5.

C. Fill in must, can’t, should, may, might, could and the appropriate form of the verbs in brackets.

Fred:	I’ve been trying to phone Rupert all day, but there’s no answer. He ______ (work).
Jill:	No. He _______ (work). He never works on Sunday.
Fred:	Oh! Then I suppose he _______ (go) away somewhere for the day.
Jill:	Possibly. But I’ll be upset with him if he has. He _____ (tell) me, so that I _____ with him.
Fred:	I hope he’s OK. He _____ (have) an accident, you know.
Jill:	Don’t worry. He _____ (still/sleep). You know he has a lot of work on at the moment. He _____ (work) until late last night.
Fred:	I suppose so, or he _____ (go) to Ted’s party.
Jill:	That’s it! He _____ (go) there are and stayed out till really late.

D. Express requests in as many sentences as you can using the following sentence patterns:

Pattern 1. Can I use your pen? (informal)

Pattern 2. Could I borrow your book? (polite)

Pattern 3. May I use your phone, please? (formal)

Pattern 4. Might I use your phone? (very formal)

Pattern 4. Will you phone me tonight? (very friendly)

Pattern 6. Would you mind giving this message to your boss? (polite)

5. Link the following requests(1-4) with reasons(a-d), then think of your own sentences (some other requests to explain your reasons):

1. Will you let me chair the meeting?

2. Can you approve the report today?

3. Can you meet with me soon?

4. Would you finish the project by Friday?

1. The customer made a special request for it.

2. I have some announcements to make.

3. Then we can get the project moving.

4. My team are keen to get started as soon as possible.

Note: Research shows that when people link their requests with a reason, they are much more likely to get a “yes response. Try to phrase your requests carefully, so that you get the response you require.

Discussing the Key Points

A. Which statements do you agree with? Which statements do you doubt? Why?

1. Business is like sports. It’s a game.

2. Business is about building the bets team.

3. You can’t give somebody a rise, you can’t give them a bonus without sending it with the category that they are in.

4. You can win and lose, and you could do both and do them right.

5. The combination of hugging and kicking is always an important part of managing.

B. Give the description (examples) of the following situations:

1. nonsensical meeting

2. massive reports

3. nonsense session

4. dull presentations

5. terrific meeting

3. Complete the following sentences and make a summary of the text.

1. In his book Jack Welch talks about encouraging all executives to get rid of C performers, and to focus on and …

2. He thinks that business is like …

3. In his opinion, it is about building …

4. He is sure that business has to clean out those …

5. According to him, the manager has to do everything possible to …

6. His advice is to recognize that you could win and lose, and …

7. He believes that the combination of hugging and kicking is …

Language Review

A. Study the prepositions used after some verbs, adjectives and nouns. Use a dictionary to understand their meanings.

choice between/of (n)	convert to (into) (v)
coincide with (v)	cope with (v)
collaborate with (v)	correspond to/with (v)
comment on (v)	count for/on (v)
communicate with (v)	cut into (v) (= interrupt sb)
comparison between (n)	date back (v)
connection between (n)	date from (v)
connect to/with (v)	deal with (v)
consist of (v)	decide on/against) (v)
contract between (n) (but: in contract with)	decrease in (n)
contrast with (v)	deficient in (adj)
contribute to (v)	definition of (n)

B. Use the phrases from Exercise A in the situation of your own.

C. Study the following verbal phrases and their synonymous expressions (or words). Make as many sentences as you can with the verbal phrases.

Make
make over	=		to give the possession of sth to sb else
make sth up to sb	=		to compensate sb for sth
make up	=		1) to invent, 2) to think up
make up one’s mind	=		to decide
Pass
pass by		=	to overlook; pass over
pass on		=	to give from person to person
Pay
pay back		=	to return money back
pay down		=	to pay part of the price for sth
pay for		=	to receive punishment
pay off		=	to pay sb to leave employment
pay up			to pay in full (a debt)

Acquiring More Skills

I. Some Conversational Expressions and their Uses

Getting back to the main point: well, anyway….

Giving a reason for what one has said: I mean…

Giving one’s opinion directly: frankly…

Expressing strong agreement: You can say that again…

Interrupting politely: Excuse me…

Trying to remember what one was saying: Where was I?

Softening what one has said: at least…

Correcting yourself: or rather…

Asking for repetition: I beg your pardon?

Asking somebody to wait: Just a minute…

Giving an explanation: You see…

A. Match words and expressions (1–6) with their meanings or purposes (a–f).

Words and expressions		Meanings/purposes
1.	Well, anyway…	a)	I want to interrupt politely
2.	I mean…	b)	I’m giving a reason for what I’ve said
3.	Frankly…	c)	I strongly agree
4.	You can say that again	d)	I want to get back to the main point
5.	Excuse me	e)	I’m going to give my opinion very directly
6.	… if it’s not too much trouble	f)	Sarcastic “polite request”, really meaning “:Why aren’t you doing your job?”

B. Match words and expressions (1–8) with their meanings or purposes (a–h).

Words and expressions		Meanings/purposes
1.	Well, really!	a)	I can’t remember what I was saying
2.	Here you are	b)	What did you say?
3.	Where was I?	c)	I’m giving you something
4.	At least	d)	I want to correct myself
5.	Or rather	e)	I don’t want to pay any attention to you yet?
6.	I beg your pardon?	f)	I’m giving an explanation
7.	Just a minute	g)	I think you are behaving badly
8.	… you see	h)	What I said was more than the truth

C. Practice using different expressions in conversations of your own. Work in pairs or groups of 2–3.

II. Positive Suggestions and Warnings

There are a number of expressions that can be used to introduce positive suggestions and warnings. Notice that they are followed by an -ing form or infinitive.

Positive suggestions

It’s worth (spending time…)

It’s good if you get into the habit of (doing…)

It may be helpful to (plan…)

It’s important to (accept…)

You should be thinking about…

Warnings

It’s not worth (spending time…)

It’s bad if you get into a habit of (doing…)

It’s pointless (doing…)

It’s a waste of time (going…)

A. With a partner discuss some “rules” using the phrases above. Choose from the following:

• learning a foreign language

• sending business correspondence (e-mail, fax, letters)

• making the most of your time

• managing your time

• a topic of your own

B. Change the following sentences using expressions that introduce positive suggestions and warnings.

1. Managers schedule time to organize their activities.

2. Some people find it helpful to plan their day first thing in the morning.

3. If a large task is broken up into a series of small tasks, it becomes much more manageable.

4. Whether you are meeting a colleague at work or a friend over coffee, don’t just arrange a time to meet; be thinking about a time to finish.

5. Assertiveness is essential to good time management.

6. When a task arrives, deal with it straight away, or decide when to deal with it and put it aside till then.

7. Don’t revisit a task without carrying it out.

8. Deal with what is on your desk, once only.

Exchanging Information

A. Read the anecdote and comment on the last statement.