Shadowing Practice: Accept That Some People are Okay With Being Mediocre. - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
C1
Shadowing Controls
0% completed (0/153 sentences)
This is the Jocko Underground Podcast number 185 sitting here with Echo Charles.
⏸ Paused
Speed:
Repeat Count:
Wait Mode:
Sub Sync:0ms
All Sentences
153 sentences
1
This is the Jocko Underground Podcast number 185 sitting here with Echo Charles.
2
You all have sent us some questions from the field and we will provide you with some guidance, some recommendations, some answers, or at a minimum some possible courses of actions that you can follow.
3
So here we go.
4
Let's get into it.
5
Here we go.
6
First question.
7
I'm a high school principal.
8
I spent the last decade working towards being the best version of myself, reading, lifting, training, and eliminating most anything that is not productive to my quest to achieve personal excellence.
9
Where I struggle as a leader is watching others around me be okay with mediocrity.
10
Their lack of desire to improve daily fuels me to be the best, the very best I can be, but frustrates me that I see so much more in them than they see in themselves.
11
Do I continue to keep my foot on the gas in an effort to influence them to see they are just floating through life?
12
or do I accept that 10% of my staff are going to fall short of my expectations of them and the true potential they have as educators and leaders in my school.
13
Keep the rad designs coming for the shirtlocker tees.
14
Thank you.
15
Jack, that's what it is.
16
I like that.
17
And he says that 10% of his staff is about 10 to 12 people.
18
so um welcome to reality this is this is a reality right here there's a there's a bell curve
19
there's a bell curve in the world there's a bell curve in any organization you got your top performer formers you got like that top 10 of the
20
top performers and then you got the whole big middle area of the bell curve and that you know there's people that are like do a little bit better and in the middle of the bell curve and people that do a little bit worse in the middle of the bell curve.
21
And then there's the bottom 10%.
22
And that's just the way it is.
23
And everyone thinks like in the most elite places that no, in a SEAL platoon, there's a bell curve.
24
In a SEAL team, there's a bell curve.
25
In any organization, there's a bell curve.
26
And you got some front running pipe hitters at the top end that are crushing.
27
You got the middle people that are doing their job to varying levels.
28
And then you got some turds.
29
So what should you do?
30
I mean, first of all, your question is, do I continue to keep my foot on the gas?
31
Yes.
32
In an effort to influence them?
33
Yes.
34
To see they're floating through life?
35
Well, you know, it doesn't matter.
36
That shouldn't affect the way you're getting after it, right?
37
So I think you're good there.
38
Keep getting after it.
39
We know that.
40
Listen, I would invest, you know, invest in the top performers.
41
You know, how much can you help them?
42
How can you help them grow even more?
43
because they're getting after it.
44
How can you make the middle performers into top performers?
45
And I wouldn't, you know, I'm not going to abandon the bottom 10%.
46
I just don't write them off and never think about them again.
47
But I recognize, okay, I'll check in with them.
48
Well, you know, once a quarter.
49
Once a quarter.
50
You know, maybe, hey, you still good to go?
51
Hey, did you want to, you know, think about that, you know, running that thing for the school council or whatever?
52
No, it's just extra collateral duty.
53
Do you get paid for it?
54
Well, no, you don't get paid, but it's going to give you some good experience.
55
I don't want to do it.
56
Okay, cool.
57
You see what I'm saying?
58
But maybe after three years, you go, hey, you want to run that little student council thing?
59
There's no pay for it, as you know, but other teachers taking over this other project, so if you want to do it, and maybe in three years they go, yeah, I wouldn't mind doing that.
60
So you don't abandon them, checking with them periodically,
61
but you also can't expend a bunch of energy trying to get them to freaking get on board with being like a a a better performer because
62
they're getting their paycheck this happens in every industry every industry oh these people they just collect a paycheck and they don't really care yep cool welcome that's the way the world is
63
also don't get frustrated about this like you can't get frustrated it's just just the way people are it's the phase of their life you can ask them earnest questions you can try and influence them Listen, you can't go wood.
64
You want to be a loser.
65
Nope.
66
They'll be like, I'm not a freaking loser.
67
Screw you.
68
The principal sucks.
69
You know what I'm saying?
70
You build a relationship with them.
71
That's what this boils down to.
72
Build a relationship with them.
73
Trust, listen, respect, influence, and care.
74
And if you do that, and you ask earnest questions, earnest questions.
75
Where do you think you're going to be in 10 years?
76
That's not an earnest question.
77
It's like, hey, you love teaching in the classroom so much that that's kind of what you want to do.
78
for your whole career?
79
And they might say, yeah, actually it is.
80
And you go, okay, cool.
81
And they might say, well, I think so.
82
And then three weeks later or three months later, they go, you know, you asked me if I always wanted to be in the classroom, I was thinking about it.
83
And I do, but I think I wanna do it, you know, I think I wanna eventually get to becoming a college professor.
84
Oh, so you gotta go take some more classes.
85
You know, all of a sudden you got, you know, so do that.
86
and
87
do your best to help the people out but don't over invest in them that's kind of what I got you know this is life this is
88
the way people are you're going to find them no matter where you are don't let them hold you back but and
89
don't let them uninspire you to keep getting after and keep setting an awesome example and build relationships with them build relationships with
90
them that's what we're doing across the board it seems like you do a good job of in these situations because i see you know you can kind
91
of see it not you know well i think i do anyway but you do it comes off to me that you do a
92
good job of not judging people who are like not perform you know not getting after it as hard as maybe the next guy or whatever don't bro because people are interested in different things yeah yeah what i mean like
93
Like, you know, what's the one man trash, another man's treasure?
94
Sure.
95
Well, one man's triumph is another person's like, we don't give a shit.
96
Yeah.
97
You know what I mean?
98
Like, have you ever told someone like, I'm a jujitsu black belt?
99
They're like, what is that?
100
In their mind, they're literally thinking karate.
101
They're thinking Rex Kwan Do.
102
They're like, whatever, dude.
103
Yeah, my eight-year-old son has a black belt too.
104
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
105
They're like, oh, yeah, yeah.
106
My nine-year-old just got his black belt.
107
You guys are the same now.
108
But it's true that with everything, right?
109
Yeah, you're right.
110
Well, I spent 20 years in the military.
111
Oh, cool.
112
Whatever.
113
You know?
114
Oh, I wrote some books.
115
Oh, I wrote a New York Times bestseller.
116
Oh.
117
But I don't care.
118
So when someone is not interested in stuff that I'm interested in, it doesn't, I 100% expect that.
119
And I don't think anything that I've done is like,
120
oh look what i did yeah and you can't help but because i've been in a situation where actually pretty recently dude
121
i barely have a black belt i wrote books you know what i mean i don't really care but i've been in a situation on the
122
other side of things where i'm like bro it's not that serious bro and you can tell like this person's really into what's going on like
123
and i'm and it's just right on the front of my mind as if this is my feeling was like bro life is way bigger than this thing you know kind of a thing and the thing is that can be true for anything even if you're at work,
124
literally at work, what you do for a quote unquote living, there's more to life than this job.
125
And a lot of people are in a position and just their opinion of life, their approach to life.
126
There's more to life than just freaking like making sure you got this report.
127
Okay.
128
You know, so actually I'm going to like, I'm the opposite of you there.
129
Cause I'm kind of like, dude, that's awesome.
130
Like good job.
131
Good job.
132
When someone's really into what they're doing, whatever it is, I'm kind of stoked for them.
133
Yeah.
134
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
135
So, and again, I'm not saying that part isn't the part I'm talking about.
136
I'm just saying if someone's too into it and having this expectation onto you that you should be into it the same way I am, you'll have a big disconnect there.
137
It's not constructive, you know, so don't be that person in a judgmental way.
138
See what I'm saying?
139
Hey, be fired up.
140
Hell yeah, all day.
141
You know, but don't be like, hey, you should be in my lane too.
142
And if you're not, like I'm angry.
143
We got beef.
144
And we got beef, you know, see what I'm saying?
145
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
146
There's all kinds of, you know, that's good.
147
That is a little excerpt of what we are doing on the Jocko Underground podcast.
148
So if you want to continue to listen, go to jockounderground.com and subscribe.
149
And we're doing this to mitigate our reliance on external platforms so we are not subject to their control.
150
And we're doing it so we can give you more control more interaction more direct connections better communications with us Strengthen this legion of troopers that are in the game with us.
151
So thank you.
152
It's jocko underground calm It costs eight dollars and eighteen cents a month And if you can't afford to support us,
153
we can still support you just email assistance at jocko underground calm And we'll get you taken care of until then we will see you mobilized underground.
4.9/5 on App Store & Google Play
Shadowing English
On Mobile
Learn English anytime, anywhere with the Shadowing English app. Improve your communication skills today!
Track your learning progress
AI grading and error correction
Rich video library
About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will engage with thought-provoking concepts related to personal excellence and mediocrity as discussed in the "Accept That Some People are Okay With Being Mediocre" podcast. You will enhance your English speaking practice by listening to the conversation between Jocko Willink and Echo Charles, analyzing leadership challenges, and developing critical thinking skills. This lesson aims to not only improve your English pronunciation but also your ability to articulate complex ideas and personal insights in English.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Mediocrity - average quality; a lack of exceptionalism.
- Bell curve - a graph depicting the distribution of traits across a population.
- Top performers - individuals who excel and achieve outstanding results.
- Influence - the ability to affect someone’s thoughts or actions.
- Quarterly check-ins - reviews or meetings that occur every three months.
- Pursuit of excellence - the continuous effort to improve and achieve success.
- Organizational structure - the arrangement of roles and responsibilities within a group.
Practice Tips
To maximize your learning from this podcast and improve your speaking skills, follow these recommendations:
- Shadowing Technique: Utilize the shadowing site method by listening closely to the dialogue. Repeat the phrases out loud immediately after the speakers, mimicking their intonation, rhythm, and emotion.
- Focus on Tone and Speed: The speakers in this podcast have a conversational pace; try to maintain a natural flow. Pay attention to pauses and emphasis on certain words to accurately reflect the tone.
- Record Yourself: Capture your own voice while shadowing, then listen to identify areas for improvement in your pronunciation and clarity.
- Contextual Understanding: Reflect on how the content relates to your own experiences or observations. Use this reflection to create your own sentences using the key vocabulary, helping you better remember them.
- Engage with Others: Discuss the podcast themes with friends or language partners to deepen your understanding and practice speaking spontaneously in English.
By incorporating these tips into your learning routine, you will be well-equipped to learn English with YouTube, continue to improve your English pronunciation, and engage confidently in discussions about leadership, performance, and personal growth.
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.
☕ Buy us a coffee
ShadowingEnglish remains 100% free thanks to your support. Server and AI costs are high — your coffee keeps us going! 🙏