LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT STYLES BUSINESS VOCABULARY IN USE

 

BUSINESS VOCABULARY IN USE 44. LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT STYLES

 

A Leadership Ken Manners is an expert on leadership and management styles. Can leadership be taught? Or are the only real leaders born leaders? ‘Traditionally, the model for leadership in business has been the army. Managers and army officers give orders and their subordinates (the people working below them) carry them out. Managers, like army officers, may be sent on leadership courses to develop their leadership skills, their ability to lead. But they still need a basic flair or talent for leadership.’ What makes a great leader? ‘The greatest leaders have charisma, an attractive quality that makes other people admire them and want to follow them. B Modern management styles How have management styles changed in the last few years? ‘Before, leaders were distant and remote, not easy to get to know or communicate with. Today, managers are more open and approachable: you can talk to them easily. There is more management by consensus, where decisions are not imposed from above in a top-down approach, but arrived at by asking employees to contribute in a process of occultation.’ C Empowerment What exactly, is empowerment? ‘Encouraging employees to use their own initiative, to take decisions on their own without asking managers first, is empowerment. Decision-making becomes more decentralized and less bureaucratic, less dependent on managers and systems. This is often necessary where the number of management levels is reduced. EXERCISES 44.1 Match the sentence beginnings (1-7) with the correct endings (a-g). the sentences all contain words from A opposite. 1. We are looking for a new CEO, someone with strong leadership. 2. Richard has real managerial flair. 3. In the police, leaders are held responsible. 44.2 Complete the crossword with the correct forms of words from B and C opposite. Across: 1, 7 down What managers do, with or without talking to employees. (8,6) 5. Adjective to describe leading without consultation. (13) 8. Not easy to talk to. (7) 9. See 13 across 11. What the type of boss in  5 across does not do. (7)

ANSWER KEY