Personal management style

There are many high-profile examples of how to develop a successful management style. Managers like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have famously developed their own distinctive management style from which others can learn.

Gate’s style and management practice at Microsoft was based on control and concerning himself with detail almost to the point of obsession. The onus that the Bill Gates management style placed on the monitoring of staff and figures is demonstrated by the fact that he even used to sign expenses for Steve Ballmer, his right-hand man.

Buffett, on the other hand, always stressed a desire for the managers of Berkshire Hathaway to think like owners. He urged them to “look at the business you run as if it were the only asset of your family, one that must be operated for the next 50 years and can never be sold”.

Sometimes unorthodox management behaviour can develop into a very effective management style. A case in point is that of Ricardo Semler and his Brazilian engineering company SEMCO. His management policies included unusual practices such as shutting down the company for an afternoon twice-yearly for all employees to clean out the places where they work. He also limited all memos and reports to one piece of A4, always topped by an eye-catching tabloid-style headline to sum up the key message.

Perhaps most interestingly of all, he implemented a system where employees would assess their own managers, with a low rating putting the manager’s job at risk.

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

Speaking

In pairs discuss pluses and minuses of Bill Gates’ and Warren Buffett’s management style. Explain their company’s success. If you had your own firm what method of running it would you prefer? Give your arguments.

Lesson 5. Leadership

Warm up

I. Brainstorm:

· Are you a leader? Would you like to be? Why?

· What associations have you got with the word “leader”?

· Do you agree that the success of a company depends on its leader? Give your arguments.

· What does a person need to become a good leader?

II. Test: “Are you the perfect partner?”

1. What do you think is most important for a successful relationship?

a. luck

b. the ability to compromise

c. trust

2. What do you prefer?

a. caring for others

b. being looked after

c. being independent

3. Who usually says sorry first after a quarrel?

a. you

b. your partner

c. you hardly ever quarrel

4. How important do you think faithfulness is in a relationship?

a. very

b. the occasional fling does no harm

c. not at all

5. How good are you at remembering birthdays and anniversaries?

a. useless

b. reasonable

c. not very good, so you keep a list

6. How do you react when your partner returns from the shops with a dress/shirt that you instantly hate?

a. tell them the truth

b. say you’ll need time to get used to it

c. say it’s lovely but wince every time they wear it

7. What’s your idea of the perfect romantic evening?

a. a candlelit dinner for two at a good restaurant

b. dancing at a popular disco

c. a quiet time together alone

8. What sort of relationship do you have with your old flames?

a. friendly

b. poisonous

c. non–existent

9. What do you do when your partner talks about something that doesn’t interest you?

a. listen politely but think about something else

b. try to take an interest

c. change the subject as soon as possible

10. What should the perfect partner be?

a. sexy

b. amusing

c. generous

d. kind

e. interesting

f. rich

11. Your partner isn’t feeling sociable and won’t go to a party. What do you do?

a. Phone and apologize that neither of you can come

b. Go alone, but leave early

c. Try again to persuade him/her to come but failing that go alone determined to have fun

d. find someone else to go with

From English for Business

ANSWER KEY

1. a – 0 b – 2 c – 1 5. a – 0 b – 1 c – 2 9. a – 1 b – 2 c – 0

2. a – 2 b – 1 c – 0 6. a – 0 b – 2 c – 1 10. a – 0 b – 1 c – 1 d – 2 e – 2 f – 0

3. a – 1 b – 0 c – 2 7. a – 1 b – 0 c – 2 11. a – 2 b – 2 c – 1 d – 0

4. a – 2 b – 1 c – 0 8. a – 2 b – 0 c – 0

WHAT YOUR SCORE MEANS

16 – 22You’d make a trouble-free, affectionate and easy-going partner – but be careful you’re not too nice or people will take advantage of you.

8 – 15You’re not perfect, but who is? You’re mentally and emotionally challenging and you shouldn’t choose a partner too similar to you.

0 – 7I’m afraid you’re one of life’s loners. Perhaps you’re being too selfish and your life could be more fulfilling if you had more time for others.

Comment on

Express your point of view. Enlarge one quotation into a situation or an example from a real life.

1) Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. (George S. Patton)

2) People are definitely a company’s greatest asset. It doesn’t make any difference whether the product is cars or cosmetics. A company is only as good as the people it keeps.

(Mary Kay Ash)
2) When a man points a finger at someone else, he should remember that four of his fingers are pointing at himself. (Louis Nizer)

Group work

I. Fill in the following chart with the appropriate information.

Illustrate each case of power with your examples from real life.

Leadership power

Type of power	Brief description: main features	Advantages\disadvantages

An essential part of leadership or management is to influence the people you manage so that they do what you want them to do. The influence of a leader will depend on a variety of factors including their personality and of those around them. We will refer to the people that the leader is managing or leading as followers. The influence of a leader over his followers is often referred to as power. Below we will explore the different types of power a leader may have.

Reward Power

This type of influence is created when the leader is able to offer a reward to his followers for completing tasks behaving in a certain manner. Rewards in the workplace can take a variety of forms from chocolates, gift vouchers and holidays to promotions, commission and pay rises. This reward will only be effective if:

Firstly - the reward appeals to the followers. As you are aware there is no point offering chocolate as a reward to somebody who likes crisps. This is because they will not view chocolate as a reward, so there is no incentive to complete the task.