Magda's Morning Challenge

Word Bank

These words appear in the reading and the exercises below. Hover or click a word to see its definition.

wander v. aware of adj. bring your attention back phrase find your mind wandering phrase full attention n. management n. management style n. leadership n. leading n. bring confidence phrase managing up n. manage your boss verb phrase manage up verb phrase managing your manager noun phrase multitasking n.

Full vocabulary notes (examples, collocations, related words)

wander verb · in the reading — To move around without a clear direction; for the mind, to stop focusing on something. Her mind sometimes wanders in long meetings.Collocations: mind wanders, let your mind wander, thoughts wanderRelated: drift, lose focusContrasts: focus, concentrateNotes: Often used about thoughts or the mind, not only physical movement.

aware of adjective · in the reading — Knowing or noticing something. We should be aware of the sounds around us.Collocations: be aware of your body, be aware of the sounds, become aware ofRelated: conscious ofContrasts: unaware ofNotes: Often used in advice.

bring your attention back phrase · in the reading — To return your focus to something. When you get distracted, gently bring your attention back to your work.Collocations: bring your attention back to the present, bring your attention back to your breathingRelated: refocus, return your focusNotes: Common in mindfulness instructions.

find your mind wandering phrase · in the reading — Notice that you are not focused on what you are doing. If you find your mind wandering, bring it back to your task.Collocations: find your mind wandering, mind wandering from your workRelated: lose focusNotes: Common in mindfulness instructions.

full attention noun · in the reading — All of your attention, with no distractions. Try to give your full attention to one task.Collocations: give your full attention, pay full attentionRelated: complete focusNotes: Common in classroom and work contexts.

management noun · in the reading — the act of organising and directing a company, project or team Good management can help a company grow quickly.Collocations: management conference, management styles, conflict management, project managementRelated: leadership, administrationNotes: Often used before another noun (management skills, management style).

management style noun · in the reading — the typical way a manager leads and works with a team Her management style is very open and friendly.Collocations: different management styles, leadership style, management style of a teamRelated: leadership styleNotes: Countable; often compared or described (different styles).

leadership noun · in the reading — the position or ability of leading a group or organisation Good leadership can improve employee motivation.Collocations: leadership communication, leadership skills, leadership styleRelated: managementContrasts: followershipNotes: Often collocates with skills and style.

leading noun · in the reading — the activity or skill of guiding and directing people Leading small businesses can be very challenging.Collocations: leading in uncertain times, leading small businesses, leading a teamRelated: managing, runningContrasts: followingNotes: Gerund form used as a noun.

bring confidence phrase · in the reading — to make people feel more sure and positive Good leaders try to bring confidence to their teams.Collocations: bring confidence to your team, bring confidence back, bring confidence to customersRelated: build confidence, increase confidenceContrasts: reduce confidenceNotes: Verb + object phrase.

managing up noun · in the reading — the skill of managing your manager to work better together Managing up is about how to manage your boss.Collocations: practise managing up, the skill of managing up, managing up effectivelyRelated: managing your manager, managing your bossNotes: Key business soft skill; useful for talking about relationships at work.

manage your boss verb phrase · in the reading — 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.Collocations: learn to manage your boss, try to manage your boss, managing your boss wellRelated: manage your manager, handle your bossNotes: Useful for career and management discussions.

manage up verb phrase · in the reading — to use good management skills to work well with your manager and support them She can choose to manage up.Collocations: learn to manage up, try to manage up, strategies to manage upRelated: manage your managerNotes: Core term of the article.

managing your manager noun phrase · in the reading — using management skills to work well with your boss Managing up is the process of managing your manager.Collocations: process of managing your managerContrasts: being managedNotes: Paraphrases the main term managing up.

multitasking noun · in the reading — Doing several things at the same time. Multitasking can make you less efficient.Collocations: avoid multitasking, be a multitasker, multitasking at workRelated: doing several things at onceContrasts: focusing on one thingNotes: Often seen as negative in this text.

Reading

Read the text, then try the exercises below.

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.

Fill in the Blank

Pick the word that best completes each sentence. The sentence may use a different form of the word (a plural, or -ed / -ing).

Matching

Click a word, then click its definition — or drag from one to the other. Use the undo button if you change your mind.

Teacher Notes

All vocabulary in this lesson comes directly from the bank at B1 level, filtered by the topic "work".
Exercise #1 (Matching) practices recognition; Exercise #2 (Gap-fill) practices production in context.
This lesson blends 4 related sub-themes rather than one narrow group -- worth pointing out the connections between them explicitly if students seem to treat the words as unrelated.
Several items have register/usage notes worth raising in class: wander, aware of, bring your attention back, find your mind wandering, full attention.