Business English B1 · Lesson 23← Back to Business English
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Section 1 / 8

Warm-up

Lesson 23

Leadership & Management Style

Business English B1Lesson 238 sections55 exercises
1.1

Leadership & Management Style

Today is about leading a team: delegating, motivating people and giving instructions in a clear and friendly way. The grammar focus is delegating and instructing — ask / tell / want someone to do, make / let someone do, have / get something done.
1.2

After this lesson you'll be able to...

  • Use key leadership vocabulary
  • Describe your own management style
  • Use ask / tell / want someone to do, make / let someone do and have / get something done
  • Delegate a task politely and motivate a team
1.3

Get to know each other (3 minutes)

  • Who is the best leader you have ever worked with? What made them good?
  • Do you prefer to lead or to be part of a team?
  • What does a good manager do when the team is under pressure?
  • What is the hardest part of managing people?
1.4

Say it out loud

Delegate a task politely. → Could you ask Anna to prepare the report? I would like her to send it to me by Friday.

1.5

Fact worth knowing

Research on workplaces often finds that employees leave managers, not companies. A clear, respectful manager who gives people responsibility keeps a team much longer than a high salary alone.
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Section 2 / 8

Vocabulary

2.1

Leadership vocabulary

to delegate
to give a task or authority to another person
делегувати
to motivate
to make someone want to work hard
мотивувати
to empower
to give people the confidence and power to act
розширювати повноваження
to supervise
to watch and direct people at work
наглядати, керувати
a mentor
an experienced person who helps and advises a younger colleague
наставник
accountability
the fact of being responsible for your actions and results
підзвітність
to set an example
to behave in a way that others can copy
подавати приклад
a vision
a clear idea of what you want the future to be
бачення
to micromanage
to control every small detail of other people’s work
мікроменеджити
approachable
friendly and easy to talk to
доступний у спілкуванні
decisive
able to make decisions quickly and with confidence
рішучий
to give credit
to say publicly that someone did good work
віддати належне
to take responsibility
to accept that something is your duty or fault
брати на себе відповідальність
a leadership style
the typical way in which a person leads others
стиль лідерства
to inspire
to make people feel enthusiastic and confident
надихати
a team player
a person who works well with others
командний гравець
2.2

Useful leadership phrases

Could you take care of this for me?Чи могли б ви подбати про це за мене?
I’d like you to lead this project.Я хотів би, щоб ви очолили цей проєкт.
I’ll get Tom to send the figures.Я попрошу Тома надіслати цифри.
She lets us choose our own hours.Вона дозволяє нам самим обирати години.
I want everyone to share ideas.Я хочу, щоб усі ділилися ідеями.
Well done — that was excellent work!Молодець — це була чудова робота!
I take full responsibility for that.Я беру на себе повну відповідальність.
My door is always open.Мої двері завжди відчинені.
2.3

Try out the new words

Describe your ideal manager in one sentence. → My ideal manager is someone who … and who lets me …

Say what you do when a team member does great work. → When someone does great work, I always …

2.4

Which word is it?

to give a task or authority to another person
to make someone want to work hard
to give people the confidence and power to act
an experienced person who helps and advises a younger colleague
the fact of being responsible for your actions and results
to control every small detail of other people’s work
friendly and easy to talk to
able to make decisions quickly and with confidence
2.5

Fill in the missing word

A good manager ____ tasks and trusts people to do them. (gives tasks away)
She is very ____ — you can talk to her about anything.
He checks every small detail. He really ____ his team.
My ____ taught me a lot in my first year at the company.
A leader must be ____ and decide quickly when time is short.
2.6

Choose the correct word

A good leader should ____ the team to do its best.
The manager ____ her team for the great result.
Leaders should ____ and behave the way they want others to behave.
2.7

Translate the phrase

Write each phrase in English.

наставник
віддати належне
стиль лідерства
командний гравець
брати на себе відповідальність
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Section 3 / 8

Grammar

3.1

Delegating and instructing

ask / tell / want + object + to …I asked Anna to prepare the report. The manager told us to finish by Friday. I want you to lead the meeting. Negative: I told him not to be late.
make / let + object + bare infinitiveno to after the object: She makes us check everything twice. He lets us work from home. (make = force; let = allow).
have / get something donesomeone else does the job for us: We had the office redesigned. I’ll get the contract checked by a lawyer. Form: have/get + object + past participle.
have someone do / get someone to doI’ll have Tom send the figures. (bare infinitive) I’ll get Tom to send the figures. (to-infinitive) Both mean: I will arrange for Tom to send them.
Polite instructionsSoften orders: Could you … ? / I’d like you to … / Would you mind + -ing … ? Compare: Send me the report! (too direct) → Could you send me the report by noon?
3.2

Which sentence is correct?

Choose the correct sentence:
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose the correct sentence:
3.3

Complete with the correct word

I want you ____ lead this project. (to/-)
The manager made us ____ the report again. (rewrite/to rewrite)
I’ll get the car ____ before the trip. (repaired/repair)
He told me ____ late again. (not to be/don’t be)
She ____ us choose our own tasks. (lets/allows)
3.4

Delegate it

Rewrite the sentence with the word in brackets. Several answers are possible.

“Prepare the slides, please.” (I asked Maria)
A lawyer will check the contract for us. (We will have)
Employees can work from home. (My manager lets)
3.5

Correcting mistakes

Each sentence has one mistake. Write the correct sentence.

She asked me finish the report.
The boss makes us to work late.
We will have repair the printer.
3.6

Put the words in order

Put the words in the right order and write the full sentence.

asked / I / Anna / to / call / the / client
us / lets / early / leave / manager / our
contract / checked / we / the / had
3.7

Say it about your own work

Say how you delegate a task at work. Use ask / tell / get someone to do. → When I have too much work, I ask … to … and I get … to …

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Section 4 / 8

Reading

4.1

Read: two management styles

Two management styles

Maria and Peter are both team leaders, but they manage in different ways. Maria is approachable and likes to empower her team. She lets people choose how to do their work, and she asks them to share ideas in every meeting. When something goes well, she always gives credit to the team; when something goes wrong, she takes responsibility.

Peter has a different style. He is very decisive and likes to control the details. He tells his team exactly what to do, and he makes them send him a daily report. Sometimes he even micromanages: last month, he had every email checked before it was sent. His team respects his experience, but people say they would like him to trust them more.

Which style is better? It depends on the situation. In a crisis, a decisive leader who gives clear instructions can save time. In a creative team, people usually work better when a leader lets them make their own decisions. The best leaders can change their style: they inspire people with a clear vision, set an example and delegate with confidence.

4.2

True or false?

Maria lets her team choose how to do their work.
True.
Peter trusts his team completely.
False — he micromanages, and the team would like him to trust them more.
Maria takes responsibility when something goes wrong.
True.
The text says that one style is always better.
False — it says it depends on the situation.
Peter had every email checked before it was sent.
True.
4.3

Answer the questions

Why is Maria approachable?
She lets people choose how to work and asks them to share ideas.
What does Peter make his team do?
He makes them send him a daily report.
When can a decisive leader be useful?
In a crisis, when clear instructions can save time.
What can the best leaders do?
Change their style, inspire people with a vision, set an example and delegate.
4.4

Find the key language

Write the word (or phrase) from the text.

A phrase meaning "gives people more power to act":
A word for a manager who controls small details:
A phrase for "says publicly that people did well":
4.5

Fill in from the text

Maria is ____ and likes to empower her team.
She lets people choose how to do their ____.
Peter has a different ____.
He makes them send him a ____ report.
The best leaders set an ____.
4.6

Why is this a good text?

It compares …
It ends with …
4.7

Your own opinion

  • Which manager would you prefer to work for? Why?
  • Is it ever good to micromanage?
  • What does a leader do when a team is not motivated?
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Section 5 / 8

Practice

5.1

Picture the situation

🧑‍✈️ 📤 💪 🙌

Explain the task → Ask → Trust → Give credit. A clear, polite request gets better results than a strict order.

5.2

Match the phrase to its function

Could you take care of this for me?
Well done — that was excellent work!
I take full responsibility for that.
She lets us choose our own hours.
I want everyone to share ideas.
5.3

Put the words in order

Put the words in the right order and write the full sentence.

asked / I / to / him / come / early
lets / team / us / our / leader / decide
checked / had / we / report / the
5.4

Fill in the missing phrase

Could you ____ care of this for me? (take)
I want you ____ present the results. (to)
She makes us ____ twice before we send it. (check)
We had the website ____ by a designer. (made/make)
Well ____ — that was great work! (done)
5.5

Say it in your own words

Write one sentence. Several answers are possible.

Ask a colleague politely to send you a file.
Say that your manager allows you to work from home.
5.6

Translate into English

Write each sentence in English. Several answers are possible.

Я попросив Анну підготувати звіт.
Менеджер дозволяє нам самим обирати години.
Ми попросимо юриста перевірити договір.
5.7

A useful tip

When you delegate, always give three things: the task, the deadline and the reason. “Could you prepare the slides by Thursday? I’d like to review them before the client meeting.”
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Section 6 / 8

Speaking

6.1

How to use this section

Your tutor plays a team member, a manager or a mentor. Delegate tasks, motivate people, give feedback and explain your management style. Use ask / tell / want someone to do, make / let someone do and have / get something done.

6.2

Delegating a task

SCENARIO 1

Task: you are very busy. Delegate a report to a colleague and explain why.

Starter: "Could you take care of the monthly report for me? I’d like you to send it to me by Thursday, because I have a client meeting on Friday."

6.3

Motivating a tired team

SCENARIO 2

Task: the team is tired after a difficult project. Say thank you and motivate them.

Starter: "I want to thank everyone for their hard work. You did an excellent job, and I’d like us to celebrate with a team lunch."

6.4

Describing your style

SCENARIO 3

Task: a new employee asks about your management style. Describe it in three sentences.

Starter: "I try to be approachable. I let people choose how to work, but I ask everyone to update me every Friday."

6.5

Dealing with a mistake

SCENARIO 4

Task: a team member made a mistake. Take responsibility as a manager and ask for a solution.

Starter: "I take responsibility for this, because I did not check the details. Could you suggest how we can fix it?"

6.6

Letting someone go home

SCENARIO 5

Task: a colleague needs to leave early. Allow it and say what you expect.

Starter: "Of course, I’ll let you leave early today. I’d like you to send me the files before you go."

6.7

Mentoring a junior

SCENARIO 6

Task: a junior colleague asks for advice. Give advice and offer help.

Starter: "I’d suggest you ask the client for more details first. I can get Anna to show you the process, if you like."

6.8

Asking for outside help

SCENARIO 7

Task: you need an expert. Explain what you will have done and by whom.

Starter: "We’ll have the contract checked by a lawyer, and I’ll get IT to test the new system before the launch."

6.9

Full conversation — no stops

FULL RUN-THROUGH

Run through a management conversation with your tutor: delegate a task, motivate the person, give a bit of feedback and agree on the deadline — entirely in English.

6.10

Let's talk — reflection

  • Which delegating phrase was the most natural for you?
  • Is it difficult for you to let other people do things their own way?
  • What kind of leader would you like to be?
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Section 7 / 8

Cool down

7.1

Now I can...

  • Use key leadership vocabulary
  • Describe your own management style
  • Use ask / tell / want someone to do, make / let someone do and have / get something done
  • Delegate a task politely and motivate a team
7.2

Quick self-check

Do we use "to" after "make someone"?
No — make someone + bare infinitive (She makes us check).
How do we say that someone else does a job for us?
have / get + object + past participle (We had the report checked).
How can you make an order sound polite?
Could you … ? / I’d like you to … / Would you mind … -ing?
7.3

One more thing before you go

Tell your tutor about a leader you admire. → I admire … because he/she lets us … and makes us …

🏠
Section 8 / 8

Homework

8.1

Words to remember

to delegateделегувати
to motivateмотивувати
to empowerрозширювати повноваження
to superviseнаглядати, керувати
a mentorнаставник
accountabilityпідзвітність
to set an exampleподавати приклад
a visionбачення
8.2

Fill in the missing word

A good manager knows how to ____ tasks. (give them to others)
She wants to ____ her team with a clear vision.
The ____ gave me useful career advice.
The team needs more ____ for the final result. (responsibility for results)
My boss is friendly and very ____.
8.3

Choose the correct form

I asked him ____ the figures.
She makes us ____ the report twice.
We had the room ____ before the meeting.
8.4

Open the brackets

I want you ____ (be) on time tomorrow.
The manager lets us ____ (work) from home.
We are going to have the logo ____ (design) by an agency.
She told me ____ (not/send) the file yet.
8.5

Correct the mistake

Each sentence has one mistake. Write the correct sentence.

The manager made us to stay late.
I asked her sending the invoice.
We will have to check the contract by a lawyer.
8.6

Translate the phrase

Write each phrase in English. Several answers are possible.

Мої двері завжди відчинені.
Я хочу, щоб усі ділилися ідеями.
Чи могли б ви подбати про це за мене?
8.7

Write it yourself

Write a short text (6–8 sentences) about your management style (or the style of a manager you know). Use at least one ask / tell / want someone to do, one make / let someone do and one have / get something done.

8.8

Practise out loud

Say your text aloud as if you were introducing yourself to a new team. Use a warm, confident voice.

8.9

Read aloud

Read the text “Two management styles” aloud twice before the next lesson.

Tick what you have done
  • 8.7 I wrote a text about management style (6–8 sentences)
  • 8.8 I said my text aloud
  • 8.9 I read the text about two management styles aloud twice

📞

Start the lesson call

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