Shadowing Practice: A conversation with Sergio Rial: New trends in leadership - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Let's talk about culture.
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Let's talk about culture.
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What are the components of a high performing culture?
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And when you're involved in a culture that you want to move and change and tweak in a different direction, how do you do that as a leader?
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Ambition.
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It's such an important, such an important aspect of anyone's life and any company's intent.
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I think you've got to have a realistic ambition for your company.
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The second one is risk.
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There's not going to be reward without risk and I think you've got to understand, size it, price it and pursue it.
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So I think you should not shy away from risk, you should actually embrace it.
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So I think a lot of companies, what they spend a lot of time, they're risking all the time, which I can understand and I think it's part of any company's fiduciary roles and duties.
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But I think at the same time, facing and defining risk and embracing it to a degree that you can actually understand and as long as you understand it, you should really embrace.
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When you have a culture that is ambitious, when you have a culture that looks at risk with a mind to play to win as opposed to play not to lose, you certainly start having a culture that wants to accomplish things.
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Yeah, that's a great statement, playing to win as opposed to playing not to lose.
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You may have noticed that there are now three fewer global American food companies and there are now three new global Brazilian food companies.
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There must be some nationalistic pride.
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Tell Tell me, what have the Brazilians brought to these companies from their global perspectives that seemingly, and not to overgeneralize, that the previous managements of those great global companies were missing?
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I think complacency was pretty much ingrained in many of those companies.
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And I think that's a challenge for large companies.
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I don't think it's a question of the Brazilians.
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I mean, what I think this culture of this particular investor has basically focused on is performance.
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performance and high performing teams and having compensation completely aligned to very few targets and being absolutely relentless around what needs to happen from a productivity point of view.
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Big companies in big countries, particularly when they've been successful for so many years, complacency gets ingrained in the DNA.
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And what you have is a disruptive new owner who comes and basically says, well, I think we can do better.
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So I think at the root cause, ambition and an ability to take risks.
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I go back to that sort of thing about high performing teams.
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Ambition and risk are very, very closely correlated.
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And these people, these new investors come with a lot of ambition.
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They're taking a lot of risk.
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In some cases, they're doing that with debt.
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So they've got to make sure that in a couple of years, they're going to be able to bring the company to an optimal capital structure.
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But they don't get confused with the real task, which is performance.
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You've lived in Europe, you've lived in Asia, you've lived in the United States, and although you're a Brazilian, you've spent most of your time everywhere else, but more recently now in Brazil.
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How do you define diversity?
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I don't think I can define.
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What I think it is people with very significant different backgrounds that can very much enrich the dialogue that is taking place in the company.
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I think what you don't want to have in a boardroom or with your management team is just a bunch of people who just came from the same school, from the same community, with the same values it's very comfortable but it's not necessarily very conducive to disruptive thought process I mean we are living in a world going back to the digital threat I mean many business models are being disrupted as we speak constantly we've got to have people with not only different cultural backgrounds but academic backgrounds I think you may very well be as I've been in many companies in the agro space, agricultural space, strong marketing background, strong digital background.
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You don't necessarily have to go through just, you know, agronomics to be a good and effective leader.
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And the same applies to the financial industry.
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The same applies to any industry for that matter.
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I think diverse academic and cultural backgrounds are absolutely vital in a world that is changing so fast.
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Yes, so you have a very broad and expansive definition of diversity.
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I do.
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And if I may just expand on that one, Pat, for example, if you look at the U.S.
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food companies in general, or if you look at some American firms, this has been and continues to be the most important market in the world, in the world scene, and that's not going to change for the foreseeable future.
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But what that has created is the, in some cases, the inability to have devoted time and resources to create the skill set, to look at the world and seize opportunities somewhere else.
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How many U.S.
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food companies have actually become truly international?
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It wasn't because they didn't have the resources, the capital, or even the right boards to steer them in that sort of thinking process, but they weren't able to create the cultural fabric and the skill set with people that would be able to give them so many different perspectives in analyzing the Asian opportunity, the South American opportunities last challenge, depending which sectors you are operating.
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So people really failed.
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Look at the U.S.
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airlines for that matter.
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I mean, is the world scene going to be defined for US airline in the US?
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Definitely not.
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Look what's happening with the Middle East carriers.
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So the world is becoming also not very much interchangeable and the so-called developed world has developed a sort of a, or has maintained a culture that it's of doing the same, better each and every year without necessarily challenging and adding other skills, incubating very vital skills to play in different markets in an effective manner.
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It's learning how to crack the cold in markets where you are completely uncomfortable, but still be able to do business in a way that you are comfortable.
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So let's talk about sort of the next generation of talent.
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We call them millennials.
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What are your thoughts on leading this new group of young people into this brave new global climate?
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Not so sure.
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I'm totally equipped to give you that answer.
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I think people are geared and driven towards accomplishments.
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They may not be necessarily financial accomplishments, but I think the millennials working today in Apple, I'm sure they're pretty proud.
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I mean, Apple has basically redesigned the way human beings communicate with one another.
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How much more profound could that be besides performance just follows.
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Financial performance is a consequence of a really true phenomenal intent.
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I think where they can actually help companies is finding answers to problems that we do not even see.
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I mean, human beings are attracted by problem solving.
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And I think millennials probably will help us in finding problems that we don't even realize we have them.
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And I think Apple has been a classic case of showing human, you know, mankind that we actually had some problems we never realized we had those problems and they came with a solutions and guess what happens to the response.
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So I think they're going to help us to find problems we haven't really figured out we have them.
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Context & Background

In a recent conversation with Sergio Rial, a seasoned leader in the food industry, the discussion centers on significant themes in leadership and culture. Sergio shares his insights on fostering high-performing cultures within organizations, emphasizing the vital roles of ambition and risk-taking. He illustrates how complacency can hinder progress in established companies, while a fresh perspective from diverse leadership can propel an organization toward success. By addressing the need for varied backgrounds among team members, Sergio highlights the importance of diversity in driving innovative thought processes, especially in a rapidly changing global market.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • "Playing to win as opposed to playing not to lose." - This phrase encapsulates the mindset leaders should adopt to drive success.
  • "Embracing risk to achieve reward." - A reminder that taking calculated risks is essential for growth.
  • "Complacency can become ingrained in company culture." - A warning against the dangers of stagnation in successful organizations.
  • "Diversity enriches the dialogue." - Highlights the importance of varied perspectives in team discussions.
  • "Performance and ambition are closely correlated." - Suggests that aspiration fuels measurable achievement.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To enhance your English speaking practice through this interview, consider using the shadowing technique. This method will not only improve your English pronunciation but also help you internalize complex phrases and expressions. Follow these steps to get started:

  • Step 1: Watch the video without subtitles once to grasp the general content and context.
  • Step 2: Play the video again, pausing after each sentence or phrase. Attempt to repeat what Sergio says, mimicking his intonation and rhythm.
  • Step 3: Use a shadowing app to practice your repetitions. This technology allows you to record yourself and compare your pronunciation with that of the speaker.
  • Step 4: Focus on the top phrases listed above. Repeat them several times until they feel natural.
  • Step 5: Engage in dialogue with a partner, attempting to use these phrases in context. This will reinforce your learning and boost your confidence in conversational settings.

By consistently applying this shadowing technique, you'll be well on your way to mastering everyday English conversation, ready to tackle challenges in speaking exams such as IELTS.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

How to Practice Effectively on ShadowingEnglish

  1. Choose your video: Pick a YouTube video with clear, natural English speech. TED Talks, BBC News, movie scenes, podcasts, or IELTS sample answers all work great. Paste the URL into the search bar. Start with shorter videos (under 5 minutes) and content you find genuinely interesting — motivation matters.
  2. Listen first, understand the context: On your first pass, keep the speed at 1x and just listen. Don't try to repeat yet. Focus on understanding the meaning, picking up new vocabulary, and noticing how the speaker stresses words, links sounds, and uses pauses.
  3. Set up Shadowing mode:
    • Wait Mode: Choose +3s or +5s — after each sentence plays, the video pauses automatically so you have time to repeat it out loud. Choose Manual if you want full control and press Next yourself after each repetition.
    • Sub Sync: YouTube subtitles sometimes appear slightly ahead or behind the audio. Use ±100ms to align them perfectly so you can follow along accurately.
  4. Shadow out loud (the core practice): This is where the real work happens. As soon as a sentence plays — or during the pause — repeat it out loud, clearly and confidently. Don't just mouth the words: mirror the speaker's exact rhythm, stress, pitch, and connected speech. Aim to sound like a shadow of the speaker, not just a word-by-word recitation. Use the Repeat feature to drill the same sentence multiple times until it feels natural.
  5. Scale up the challenge: Once a passage feels comfortable, push your limits. Increase speed to <code>1.25x</code> or even <code>1.5x</code> to train high-speed language reflexes. Or set Wait Mode to <code>Off</code> for continuous shadowing — the most advanced and rewarding mode. Consistent daily practice of 15–30 minutes will produce noticeable results within weeks.

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