Shadowing Practice: Why having a vision isn’t enough to be an effective leader | Suzy Welch for Big Think+ - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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If you're a manager or a leader
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and all you do is dream big dreams and think and talk about the future in lofty, visionary terms and you don't actually get anything done,
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everyone is going to hate you.
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And meanwhile, if you're a person who's in the trenches and all you do is sort of the logistical, tactical, this is what we do tomorrow,
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grunty stuff, and you never go up to the mountaintop and say, here's our vision, everybody is going to hate you.
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When I teach managerial skills, I refuse to use the word manager or leader, and I've created this very unattractive word, lanager, which of course is a blend of those two words,
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because it's only academics who debate what leaders do versus what managers do.
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And I actually believe from living in the real world of business
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that there's really a blend of those two jobs in real life.
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And it doesn't make any difference if you're managing three people or 300,000 people, the The very best people at the top of teams
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or organizations are doing a little bit of managing and a little bit of leading.
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Hi, I'm Suzy Welch.
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I'm a professor of management practice at NYU Stern School of Business.
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You can't execute or you can't ask people to do what you're asking them to
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if you don't explain to them why you're asking them to do it.
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One of my favorite lines, and I use it over and over again when I'm teaching, is you have to tell the drummer what the words of the song are about.
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You can't just give the drummer the music and tell him to hit it.
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He's not going to be half as good
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or she's not going to be half as good as
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if they know what the song is about so they can put their whole selves into it.
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This is what managers and leaders should be doing, okay?
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Telling the drummer and all the other musicians on stage what the words of the song mean, why you're doing the work.
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And then, this is the how.
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Now we're gonna execute.
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And the job of the manager
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and the leader at the same time is to be going back and forth between the why and the how, and the why and the how,
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sometimes in one conversation and certainly always in the same day.
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Part of what makes you very good as a person running
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a team in the Lanager role is to be the simultaneous translator between your team and the people up there.
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When I see simultaneous translators at the UN
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and I see them going back
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and forth translating a conversation between say the Chinese delegation and the Bulgarian delegation and you can see how exhausting this is,
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I think yeah, that's the work of a good Lanager.
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That takes diplomacy.
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It takes courage.
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It's more than being a messenger, because when you're a messenger, you sort of drop the bomb.
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You know, you say, this is what they're saying up there, and you just sort of keep your poker face about it.
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Or you go up to the top and you say, everybody really wants to work from home two days, you know, blah, blah, blah.
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And then you just sort of stand there and you act like Switzerland.
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You're neutral.
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really good Lanager, they are not just doing that.
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They are explaining both groups to each other, and they're taking a stand.
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I mean, the worst thing in the world is a fingerprintless Lanager.
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Leave no sign of what you really believe, okay?
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Everybody comes to resent that.
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You sort of agree with the last person in the room.
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You've got to have conviction.
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It may shorten your career in some places, but at least you stood on your principle, and your reputation for integrity will follow you.
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People hate making hard calls because when you have put your name with the decision and then it bombs, your name's on it.
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And nobody wants to be exposed to failure because generally people want to keep their jobs.
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But you have to develop this, otherwise you will get a reputation for a person who cannot be a leader.
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You can't move an organization forward if you don't make decisions.
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You have to decide about pricing, market segmentation, branding.
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I mean, you just have to make one decision after another.
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The hardest decisions, of course, are people decisions.
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Who goes into what job and what they actually do.
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Don't get me started.
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That's very, very hard.
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But once you've failed a few times in business, you realize, oh, life will generally go on.
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And I'll be able to say to my team, look, we did that once.
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It didn't work.
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I own it.
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This is what I've learned.
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And the respect you get for saying, I made that mistake.
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I own it what we learned is unbelievable.
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And I think you sort of have to do that once before you realize, oh wow, that's actually so much more effective than actually not even being associated with the mistake.
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Everybody makes mistakes and once you sort of say, I made a mistake, I really learned from it.
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People are like, oh, I really respect that person.
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Sometimes I finish the semester teaching about managerial skills and about half the class is like, we're out, it's hard.
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It's very easy by comparison to be an individual contributor or to be, for instance, on a board where you're just big picture.
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Okay, those two different things are quite simple compared to what a Lanager has to do, which is both of those things at once.
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Why practice speaking with this video?

This engaging video by Suzy Welch delves into the essential qualities of effective leadership, blending both visionary and managerial skills. As an English learner, practicing your speaking skills with this video can offer numerous benefits. By shadowing Suzy's speech, you can enhance your English pronunciation while also grasping critical concepts related to management and leadership. This practice allows you to not only imitate pronunciation and intonation but also to internalize key phrases and expressions related to the workplace. Engaging with the content through the shadowing technique will help you articulate your thoughts better, thus preparing you for real-life conversations in professional settings.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

In this video, several key structures and expressions stand out. Here are a few to pay special attention to:

  • “You have to tell the drummer what the words of the song are about.” - This metaphor emphasizes the importance of context. Understanding the 'why' behind a task is essential in any conversation.
  • “It's a blend of those two jobs in real life.” - Use of the phrase “blend of” showcases how to articulate combinations of roles or responsibilities effectively.
  • “I own it. This is what I've learned.” - This expression conveys accountability and learning from mistakes, which are vital in both personal and professional contexts.
  • “The worst thing in the world is a fingerprintless lanager.” - A vivid description that illustrates the importance of leadership presence and conviction. Understanding idiomatic expressions like this can greatly enrich your communication skills.

Common Pronunciation Traps

Pay attention to specific words and phrases that might be tricky to pronounce correctly:

  • “Lanager” - A blend of “leader” and “manager,” which is a unique term that you might find challenging. Practice saying it slowly and then speed up as you gain confidence.
  • “Vision” - This word has a distinct “sh” sound that can vary in pronunciation depending on your native language.
  • “Execute” - This verb can be tricky; focus on the “cut” sound and practice emphasizing the second syllable.

Using a shadowing app can aid you in mastering these pronunciations as you mimic Suzy's delivery. By applying the shadow speech method, you can fine-tune your ability to sound natural and confident in your speaking abilities. Remember, consistent practice using the shadowing technique will lead to noticeable improvements in your overall communication skills.

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.