wander(verb)
— To move around without a clear direction; for the mind, to stop focusing on something. Her mind sometimes wanders in long meetings.
aware of(adjective)
— Knowing or noticing something. We should be aware of the sounds around us.
bring your attention back(phrase)
— To return your focus to something. When you get distracted, gently bring your attention back to your work.
find your mind wandering(phrase)
— Notice that you are not focused on what you are doing. If you find your mind wandering, bring it back to your task.
full attention(noun)
— All of your attention, with no distractions. Try to give your full attention to one task.
management(noun)
— the act of organising and directing a company, project or team Good management can help a company grow quickly.
management style(noun)
— the typical way a manager leads and works with a team Her management style is very open and friendly.
leadership(noun)
— the position or ability of leading a group or organisation Good leadership can improve employee motivation.
leading(noun)
— the activity or skill of guiding and directing people Leading small businesses can be very challenging.
bring confidence(phrase)
— to make people feel more sure and positive Good leaders try to bring confidence to their teams.
managing up(noun)
— the skill of managing your manager to work better together Managing up is about how to manage your boss.
manage your boss(verb phrase)
— to actively try to work well with your boss and influence how you work together Learning how to manage your boss is an important professional skill.
manage up(verb phrase)
— to use good management skills to work well with your manager and support them She can choose to manage up.
managing your manager(noun phrase)
— using management skills to work well with your boss Managing up is the process of managing your manager.
multitasking(noun)
— Doing several things at the same time. Multitasking can make you less efficient.
Reading
Magda Lis had one job this morning: finish the booklet for Volta Drive’s new leadership course before twelve o’clock. Olivia Brennan from marketing needed it for the printer that afternoon. Magda sat down at her desk in the small spare room of her flat in Gliwice, opened the file and started on the cover: ‘Leadership Week: Leading with Confidence’.
After ten minutes, her thoughts started to wander. She checked her phone, answered a message from a bakery client and started thinking about the invoice that was now 45 days overdue. Multitasking never worked for her. Then she looked at the next page she had to design. It was about focus at work: ‘Do you often find your mind wandering? Choose one task and bring your attention back to it.’ Magda laughed. She closed her email, put her phone in a drawer and gave the booklet her full attention.
The middle pages were about management. One asked, ‘What is your management style?’ Another explained how good leadership can bring confidence to a team. The longest chapter was called ‘Managing up: how to manage your boss’. Magda smiled. As a freelancer, she had no boss, but she had six clients, and managing your manager sounded a lot like managing a client: be aware of what they need, tell them about problems early, and never surprise them on a Friday evening.
At five to twelve, she sent the finished booklet to Olivia. Then she opened the overdue invoice and wrote a polite but firm reminder. She pressed send. ‘I can check that one off the list,’ she said to herself. Morning challenge: done.
Gap-fill
Good can improve employee motivation.
Try to give your to one task.
We should be the sounds around us.
Her mind sometimes in long meetings.
can make you less efficient.
small businesses can be very challenging.
Learning how to is an important professional skill.
is about how to manage your boss.
If you , bring it back to your task.
Her is very open and friendly.
She can choose to .
Good can help a company grow quickly.
When you get distracted, gently to your work.
Good leaders try to to their teams.
Managing up is the process of .
Matching
A. wander
B. aware of
C. bring your attention back
D. find your mind wandering
E. full attention
F. management
G. management style
H. leadership
I. leading
J. bring confidence
K. managing up
L. manage your boss
M. manage up
N. managing your manager
O. multitasking
a. to actively try to work well with your boss and influence how you work together
b. All of your attention, with no distractions.
c. the activity or skill of guiding and directing people
d. To return your focus to something.
e. Notice that you are not focused on what you are doing.
f. To move around without a clear direction; for the mind, to stop focusing on something.
g. Knowing or noticing something.
h. the act of organising and directing a company, project or team
i. the position or ability of leading a group or organisation
j. the typical way a manager leads and works with a team
k. using management skills to work well with your boss
l. Doing several things at the same time.
m. to use good management skills to work well with your manager and support them
n. the skill of managing your manager to work better together