You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Hello and welcome back to Business English Pod.
My name's Edwin and I'll be your host for today's lesson on English for Startups and Demonstrating Leadership.
In the early stages, startup companies are built on the ideas and energy of their founders.
These are often smart, creative people with great technical knowledge and skills.
And this creativity and technical know-how is crucial to bringing great ideas to life.
But very quickly, a startup becomes more than just one or two individuals.
As it grows, it becomes a team of people.
And as it changes or pivots, the original founders need more than just creativity and technical skills.
They need to be able to lead their team with passion.
Leading a team might not come naturally to every founder or to any manager in any type of company, tech startup or not, but you can learn and practice the skills of being a great leader.
For starters, you'll want to know how to be positive and show compassion for your team members.
Taking care of your team will also involve responding decisively to needs.
And people are depending on you to show them the vision behind all the hard work and to underline the shared purpose of everyone on the team.
In today's dialogue, we'll listen to a startup founder named Quinn, who has recently pivoted his online payments company to focus on business customers.
He's talking with lead developer Jill and a new marketing manager named Colin.
To execute this pivot well, Quinn will have to call on all his leadership abilities to guide his team to success.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
1.
How does Quinn set a positive tone at the start of the conversation?
2.
What is the big vision or change the company wants to make?
3.
How does Quinn respond to Jill's request for help with infrastructure needs?
Jill, Colin, brief word if I can?
Uh, sure.
What's up?
Relax, it's all good.
Just wanted to say how pumped I am to see how your team's shaping up.
Nice stand-up this morning.
Uh, yeah.
Got done what we had to get done.
Going to be a busy week.
Yeah, I know you've been hard at it.
To pull this off is daunting.
A ton of work.
You too, Colin.
Building out the team, it's a tall order.
But coming together nicely so far.
For sure.
And as we take on more people, it's going to be critical they get what we're doing.
Big picture stuff, I mean.
This is going to totally change the way payments are done.
And you two are a huge part of that.
I mean, really gives me goosebumps.
Yeah, a real game changer.
And that's what we've been emphasizing to prospects.
You can either be part of the future or live in the past.
And we're the future.
Awesome.
Just let me know if there's anything I can do to relieve some of the pressure.
Yeah, one big thing for us, if I can, or one of the big things anyway is the infrastructure upgrades.
If you could push on that for us, it'd be a huge help.
For sure.
I'll call the guys at TechSmart and get them to accelerate the timeline.
Consider it done.
For marketing, I think we've got what we need for now.
Just a matter of getting everyone on the same page, and up to speed on the technical stuff.
Yeah, your guys need to be totally clued in to what Jill and them are up to.
And Jill.
Your team needs to be supporting marketing, selling them on the scalability, briefing them on the security all parts of the same puzzle, right?
Yeah, right.
We went through a similar transition at Bellicosa a couple years back.
Everyone needs to be working in tandem.
Didn't know you were at Bellicosa.
From the get-go, actually.
A lot of fun and a lot of work.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language and techniques Quinn used in his conversation with Jill and Colin.
The team has just finished their morning stand-up or team meeting and Quinn wants a brief word or a quick chat.
Jill, Colin, brief word if I can?
Uh, sure.
What's up?
Relax, it's all good.
Just wanted to say how pumped I am to see how your team's shaping up.
Nice stand-up this morning.
Much of a company's culture is set by its leaders.
A leader's behavior sets the tone for the whole team.
And if you want your team to be positive, then you should demonstrate a positive attitude yourself.
Quinn starts the chat by saying he's pumped or very excited about how the team is coming together.
It can be easy to focus all the time on problems and things that need to be changed.
So as a leader, you need to remind yourself to set a positive tone for your team.
Let's practice some more ways of doing this.
All right, guys.
Are you ready for another great week?
Really amazing work, everyone.
Let's keep this going.
Great to see you all this morning and super excited to get things going.
How does Jill respond to Quinn's words of encouragement?
Ah, yeah.
Got done what we had to get done.
Going to be a busy week.
Yeah, I know you've been hard at it.
To pull this off is daunting.
A ton of work.
You too, Colin.
Building out the team, it's a tall order.
Remember, the company is undergoing a pivot and Jill has been on the team for a while, so she's focused on the work at hand and a busy week ahead.
As a good leader, Quinn recognizes that Jill has been hard at it, or working very hard.
And hard work has to be acknowledged.
Quinn shows compassion for his team at this moment.
He mentions in several ways how it's been a very demanding time with difficult tasks or tall orders.
Leadership has changed over the years.
Today, compassion and empathy are important qualities of a good leader.
And people will work hard for someone who makes an effort to understand the people they lead.
What are some other ways you can show compassion as a leader?
Let's run through some more examples.
I'd like to hear from everyone about how this move is impacting you.
I get it.
It's hard to suddenly switch focus and work on something new.
A whole new team and a complete change in direction.
It's a tough one for sure.
So what does Quinn want to emphasize after showing his appreciation for Jill and Colin's hard work?
But coming together nicely so far.
For sure.
And as we take on more people, it's going to be critical they get what we're doing.
Big picture stuff, I mean.
This is going to totally change the way payments are done.
And you two are a huge part of that.
I mean, really.
Gives me goosebumps.
People need to know what their hard work is designed to achieve.
And the leader's job is to present that vision or to connect people's work to the big picture, as Quinn says.
The big picture is the broad overall goal of the work.
In this case, Quinn is emphasizing how important or critical it is for everyone to understand that vision.
And the vision is all about changing the way online payments are done.
Notice how Quinn is able to present that big idea in just a few words and in a way that sounds inspiring.
Let's try some more ways of presenting a compelling and inspiring vision.
This is going to help so many people around the world access learning opportunities.
It won't be easy, but I really believe we can be the next Instagram or TikTok.
There's nothing like this out there, so you're a part of something truly unique.
What's Colin's reaction to Quinn's vision?
Yeah, a real game changer.
And that's what we've been emphasizing to prospects.
You can either be part of the future or live in the past.
And we're the future.
Clearly, Colin is on board with the company's vision.
As he says, it's a game changer, which is anything that totally changes the way something is done.
And he emphasizes how his marketing team is selling this vision to their customers.
Now that he's shown positivity, compassion, and vision, what does Quinn do next?
Awesome.
Just let me know if there's anything I can do to relieve some of the pressure.
Yeah, one big thing for us, if I can, or one of the big things anyway is the infrastructure upgrades.
If you could push on that for us, it'd be a huge help.
For sure.
I'll call the guys at TechSmart and get them to accelerate the timeline.
Consider it done.
Leadership isn't just about compassion and vision.
It's also about support.
So Quinn is asking his team about what he can do to help them.
Jill's big concern is infrastructure upgrades or improvements to the hardware and systems used by the development team.
How does Quinn respond to this request for help?
He doesn't hesitate or give some vague promise of help.
Instead, he responds very decisively, saying for sure and consider it done.
He's going to call the company that's helping with the upgrades and make them do it faster.
In this way, Quinn is leading not just with feeling, but with action.
Let's practice some more ways of responding decisively to needs.
For sure, Jordan.
I can see you'll need a bigger budget right away.
If you need more people, then let's get out there and hire them.
Okay.
Well, if it's too slow, then we just need to upgrade the servers.
If this is a question of support, tell me what you need and I'll make it happen.
We know what Jill needs, but what does Colin need on the marketing side?
For marketing, I think we've got what we need for now.
Just a matter of getting everyone on the same page and up to speed on the technical stuff.
Colin seems pretty confident, but he wants to make sure his marketing team is up to speed or has full knowledge of the technical aspects of what they're selling.
And this is an opportunity for Quinn to emphasize an important aspect of teamwork.
Yeah, your guys need to be totally clued in to what Jill and them are up to.
And Jill.
Your team needs to be supporting marketing, selling them on the scalability, briefing them on the security all parts of the same puzzle, right?
What makes a team a team is a shared purpose, and a leader has to make sure different people or different departments see that they have a common purpose.
Quinn is emphasizing to Colin and Jill that they aren't doing completely separate jobs.
They need to understand each other's area to get things right.
Marketing and development need to be working together as parts of the same puzzle or pieces of the same picture.
Let's try some more ways of underlining shared purpose for a team.
Listen, every one of us is trying to build the best product possible.
I completely agree, Brian, and I think we all have the same goal.
Design, developers, finance, everyone wants to see this thing through.
As we grow, it's up to us to make sure everyone gets what we're doing.
Now let's listen to how the dialogue ends.
Yeah, right.
We went through a similar transition at Bella Cosa a couple years back.
Everyone needs to be working in tandem.
Didn't know you were at Bella Cosa.
From the get-go, actually.
A lot of fun and a lot of work.
Clearly, Colin understands what Quinn has been trying to emphasize.
He points out that he was involved in a similar pivot at another company and understands the importance of working in tandem or together.
And it's good to hear Jill show an interest in Colin's past experience.
It suggests a good working relationship and a positive outcome of Quinn's leadership.
Now let's practice some of the language we learned in today's lesson.
Imagine you are the founder of an educational software company.
You're talking with your lead developer, and you're trying to demonstrate leadership.
You'll hear a cue from the developer.
Then I'll give you a suggestion for what you can say in response.
We'll guide you through each step in the practice and provide an example answer for each response.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
Jen said you wanted a word about something?
Start by saying that first off, you're really excited about progress on the new design.
Answer.
Yeah, couple of things.
First off, I just wanted to say how excited I am to see the progress you've made on the new design.
That's great to hear.
We spent a lot of long days on it.
Now say that you understand it's been a lot of work.
Answer, I know, and I totally understand that it's been a lot of work.
Yeah, tough going, but it's all for a good reason, right?
Next, agree, and say this will transform how we access education.
Answer.
For sure.
This will transform how we access education.
Awesome.
But I'm a bit worried we don't have enough people to get it all done.
Now say that if there aren't enough people, you'll hire more right away.
Answer.
Well then, if there aren't enough people, I'll hire more right away.
Great!
And we have the money to make this happen?
Finally, say that you're all working toward the same goal, so you know the investors will support you.
We're all working toward the same goal, so I know the investors will support us.
Now let's practice some of the vocabulary we've covered in this lesson.
In a moment, you'll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat each sentence, including the missing word.
For example, if you hear, Before we get into details, let's talk about the big picture.
After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
Let's remember that we're all part of the same.
Answer.
Let's remember that we're all part of the same puzzle.
We need to hire more people to relieve the on marketing.
Answer.
We need to hire more people to relieve the pressure on marketing.
I'm totally convinced this is going to be a real game.
Answer I'm totally convinced this is going to be a real game changer.
Hey, Tony, could I have a brief with you in my office?
Hey, Tony, could I have a brief word with you in my office?
We've reached the end of this lesson, the fifth in our series on startups.
We've learned how to set a positive tone and show compassion for your team.
We've also looked at how to present a vision, respond to needs, and emphasize shared purpose.
Thanks for listening, and see you again soon.
