hacks by buffet’s partner - tctm.carrotenglish.kr

Core Global Competencies

Hacks by Buffet’s Partner

Charlie Munger

Warm-up Question

What is your opinion of Wisdom Nuggets? Do you find them wise, informative

and useful? Or are they mostly banal, useless and uninformative?

Today’s Article and Videos

Charlie Munger: American investor, author, philanthropist, and partner of Warren

Buffet. Munger and Buffett share a lot in common. One crucial similarity is their

dedication to sharing the advice they have garnered over the years.

Here are tips for success, as seen in this clip:

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/16/warren-buffetts-partner-charlie-munger-has-3-

rules-for-a-career.html

Admitting failure is a “wonderful trick to learn”

“I know I’ll perform better if I rub my nose in my mistakes”.

The power of reading

“In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn’t read all the time – none,

zero. Bill Gates reads 50 books a year, and Buffett spends 80% of his day

reading.” Munger says his kids “think I’m a book with a couple of legs sticking out”.

A

B

“Knowing what you don’t know is more useful than being brilliant.”

“Stick with what you know when it comes to investing.”

Buffet only invests within his circle of competence.

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https://www.google.co.kr/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjU9Pmo-5TYAhUBPZQKHWG7ApgQjRwIBw&url=https://genius.com/Charlie-munger-usc-law-commencement-speech-annotated&psig=AOvVaw1odc550BKMKejNN7vHsTU9&ust=1513734659854130


2

To get rich, “keep $10M in your checking account in case a good deal comes

along.” The golden rule of investing is to think long term. “The desire to get rich

fast is pretty dangerous.”

Munger also has much to say about the intersection of psychology and

economics. Highlighted are three tendencies that he tries to avoid while making

decisions.

Watch this clip:

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/27/3-psychological-habits-charlie-munger-warns-

can-hurt-your-career.html

Bias from envy and jealousy

He notes that these two feelings are common to anyone who has raised siblings

or tried to run a law firm, investment bank or a faculty. "I've heard Warren say a

half a dozen times, 'It's not greed that drives the world, but envy.’”

Accepting delusional beliefs

Munger describes a family friend who had an outstanding student-athlete son.

"[He] flew off a carrier in the North Atlantic and never came back. His mother,

who was a very sane woman, just never believed that he was dead. That's

simple psychological denial. The reality is too painful to bear, so you just distort

it until it's bearable. We all do that to some extent, and it's a common

psychological misjudgment that can cause terrible problems.“

Making closed-minded judgments about people

Munger argues that people like to stick to what is familiar, for better or for worse,

and calls this "liking distortion.“

He says it’s "the tendency to especially like oneself, one's own kind and one's

own idea structures." This makes someone "especially susceptible to being

misled by someone liked.“


3

On the flip side, he details disliking distortion as "the tendency not to learn

appropriately from someone disliked." For example, there are shown benefits of

keeping an open mind when communicating with someone you might dislike. This

can be a challenge to becoming a better communicator and overall person.

In closing…

Munger doesn’t mince his words. His advice is not just about investing, but about

understanding the complexities of human nature and learning how to make better

decisions.

1) You don’t have to be brilliant, only a little bit wiser than the other guys, on

average, for a long, long time.

2) The big money is not in the buying and the selling. But in the waiting.

3) Take a simple idea and take it seriously.

Key Vocabulary

Review the key vocabulary for this topic.

How are these words used in the article? What do they mean?

C

hack wisdom nugget

banal

philanthropist to garner

to stick with something

circle of competence bias

to mince one’s words

to rub one’s nose in something

faculty

sane

denial distortion to stick to something

psychology bearable susceptible


The following are some useful expressions.

Review each expression and make your own sentence using them.

Useful Expressions

1. to rub somebody’s nose in sth (exp.)

Whenever he won money from a bet, he would always rub

their noses in it by saying, "Thanks for the donation, suckers."

D

Make your own:

Example 1

I know I made a mistake, but you don’t have to rub my

nose in it.

Example 2

2. half a dozen (exp.)

“They’ve only won half a dozen times in the past eight years.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“I have told you half a dozen times we are doing the

research.”

Example 2

4


5

E Discussion & Debate

Share your thoughts on the following discussion questions.

1. Together with your coach, discuss the different meanings of the word

“hack”. Recommendation: make a word map on a clean sheet of paper.

2. Summarize the main message of this article in 1– 2 sentences.

3. Garnering such a wealth of knowledge and wisdom requires much time

for reading and contemplation. Discuss ideal times for doing these

things.

4. Which nugget resonates most deeply with you? Are there any you

disagree with?

5. Aiming for wealth and success can turn into an unhealthy obsession.

How does one maintain a healthy balance between enjoying life, letting

go, relaxing and working with untiring commitment?

Wrap Up F

Take notes on what you can recall from this topic.


Relax! You’ll Be More

Productive

Warm-up Question

When are you most productive?

Today’s Article

More and more of us find ourselves unable to juggle overwhelming demands

and maintain a seemingly unsustainable pace. Paradoxically, the best way to

get more done may be to spend more time doing less. A new and growing body

of multidisciplinary research shows that strategic renewal — including daytime

workouts, short afternoon naps, longer sleep hours, more time away from the

office and longer, more frequent vacations — boosts productivity, job

performance and, of course, health.

Time is the resource on which we’ve relied to get more accomplished. When

there’s more to do, we invest more hours. But time is finite, and many of us feel

we’re running out, that we’re investing as many hours as we can while trying to

retain some semblance of a life outside work.

A

B

Although many of us can’t increase the working hours in the day, we can

measurably increase our energy. Science supplies a useful way to understand

the forces at play here. Physicists understand energy as the capacity to do

work. Like time, energy is finite; but unlike time, it is renewable.

Taking more time off is counterintuitive for most of us. The idea

is also at odds with the prevailing work ethic in most companies,

where downtime is typically viewed as time wasted. More

than one-third of employees, for example, eat lunch at

their desks on a regular basis. More than 50 percent

assume they’ll work during their vacations.

1


In most workplaces, rewards still accrue to those who push the hardest and

most continuously over time. But that doesn’t mean they’re the most

productive.

Spending more hours at work often leads to less time for sleep and insufficient

sleep takes a substantial toll on performance. In a study of nearly 400

employees, published last year, researchers found that sleeping too little —

defined as less than six hours each night — was one of the best predictors of

on-the-job burn-out. A recent Harvard study estimated that sleep deprivation

costs American companies $63.2 billion a year in lost productivity.

The Stanford researcher Cheri D. Mah found that when she got male

basketball players to sleep 10 hours a night, their performances in practice

dramatically improved: free-throw and three-point shooting each increased by

an average of 9 percent.

Daytime naps have a similar effect on performance. When night shift air traffic

controllers were given 40 minutes to nap — and slept an average of 19

minutes — they performed much better on tests that measured vigilance and

reaction time.

Longer naps have an even more profound impact than shorter ones. Sara C.

Mednick, a sleep researcher at the University of California, Riverside, found

that a 60- to 90-minute nap improved memory test results as fully as did eight

hours of sleep.

MORE vacations are similarly beneficial. In 2006, the accounting firm Ernst &

Young did an internal study of its employees and found that for each

additional 10 hours of vacation employees took, their year-end performance

ratings from supervisors (on a scale of one to five) improved by 8 percent.

Frequent vacationers were also significantly less likely to leave the firm.

2


3

As athletes understand especially well, the greater the performance demand,

the greater the need for renewal. The importance of restoration is rooted in

our physiology. Human beings aren’t designed to expend energy continuously.

Rather, we’re meant to pulse between spending and recovering energy.

Key Vocabulary



C

juggle overwhelming unsustainable

paradoxical multidisciplinary boosts

counterintuitive semblance prevailing

work ethic downtime accrue

predictors burn-out vigilance

profound renewal


4



Useful Expressions

1. is at odds (exp.)

“His prediction and my experience are at odds. We are

trying to find the reason for the discrepancy before we

submit the proposal.“

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“After the wedding the husband and wife were constantly

at odds. They divorced after a year.“

Example 2

2. takes a toll on (exp.)

“Working under stressful conditions for a long time takes a

toll on your health.“

Make your own:

Example 1

“Uncertainty about the future takes a toll on his peace of

mind.“

Example 2


5



1. What forms of strategic renewal are discussed in the article?

2. How is energy different from time as a resource?

3. The author describes his method as paradoxical or counterintuitive.

Why does he use these words?

4. What is a good predictor of burnout?

5. Finish the expression: "The greater the performance demand, ..."

Wrap Up F



Cross Cultural Small Talk

Is Tricky

Warm-up Question

Why do you think small talk is difficult for some and easier for others? Where

do you fit in?

Today’s Article

It was my first dinner party in France and I was chatting with a Parisian couple.

All was well until I asked what I thought was a perfectly innocent question:

“How did the two of you meet?” My husband Eric (who is French) shot me a

look of horror. When we got home he explained: “We don’t ask that type of

question to strangers in France. It’s like asking them the color of their

underpants.”

It’s a classic mistake. One of the first things you notice when arriving in a new

culture is that the rules about what information is and is not appropriate to ask

and share with strangers are different. Understanding those rules, however, is a

prerequisite for succeeding in that new culture; simply applying your own rules

gets you into hot water pretty quickly.

A

B

A good way to prepare is to ask yourself whether the new culture is a “peach”

or a “coconut”. This is a distinction drawn by culture experts Fons Trompenaars

and Charles Hampden-Turner. In peach cultures like the USA or

Brazil people tend to be friendly (“soft”) with new acquaintances.

They smile frequently at strangers, move quickly to first-name

usage, share information about themselves, and ask personal

questions of those they hardly know. But after a little

friendly interaction with a peach, you may suddenly get

to the hard shell of the pit where the peach protects his

real self and the relationship suddenly stops.

1


In coconut cultures such Russia and Germany, people are initially more

closed off from those they don’t have friendships with. They rarely smile at

strangers, ask casual acquaintances personal questions, or offer personal

information to those they don’t know intimately. But over time, as coconuts get

to know you, they become gradually warmer and friendlier. And while

relationships are built up slowly, they also tend to last longer.

Coconuts may react to peaches in a couple of ways. Some interpret the

friendliness as an offer of friendship and when people don’t follow through on

the unintended offer, they conclude that the peaches are disingenuous or

hypocritical. Such as the German in Brazil who puzzled: “In Brazil people are

so friendly – they are constantly inviting me over for coffee. I happily agree,

but time and again they forget to tell me where they live.” Igor Agapov, a

Russian colleague, was equally surprised to experience the pit of the peach

on his first trip to the United States: “I sat next to a stranger on the airplane for

a nine-hour flight to New York. This American began asking me very personal

questions: was it my first trip to the U.S., what was I leaving behind in Russia,

had I been away from my children for this long before? He also shared very

personal information about himself. He told me he was a bass player and

talked about how difficult his frequent travelling was for his wife, who was with

his newborn child right now in Florida.”

In response, Agapov started to do something unusual in Russian culture. He

shared his personal story thinking they had built an unusually deep friendship

in a short period of time. The sequel was quite disappointing: “I thought that

after this type of connection, we would be friends for a very long time. When

the airplane landed, imagine my surprise when, as I reached for a piece of

paper in order to write down my phone number, my new friend stood up and

with a wave of his hand said, ‘Nice to meet you! Have a great trip!’ And that

was it. I never saw him again. I felt he had purposely tricked me into opening

up when he had no intention of following through on the relationship he had

instigated.”

2


3

Others are immediately suspicious. A French woman who visited with my

family in Minnesota was taken aback by the Midwest’s peachiness: “The

waiters here are constantly smiling and asking me how my day is going! They

don’t even know me. It makes me feel uncomfortable and suspicious. What do

they want from me? I respond by holding tightly onto my purse.”

On the other hand, coming from a peach culture as I do, I was equally taken

aback when I came to live in Europe 14 years ago. My friendly smiles and

personal comments were greeted with cold formality by the Polish, French,

German, or Russian colleagues I was getting to know. I took their stony

expressions as signs of arrogance, snobbishness, and even hostility.

So what do you do if, like me, you’re a peach fallen amongst coconuts?

Authenticity matters; if you try to be someone you’re not, it never works. So go

ahead and smile all you want and share as much information about your

family as you like. Just don’t ask personal questions of your counterparts until

they bring up the subject themselves. And for my coconut readers, if your

peach counterpart asks how you are doing, shows you photos of their family

or even invites you over for a barbecue, don’t take it as an overture to deep

friendship or a cloak for some hidden agenda, but as an expression of

different cultural norms that you need to adjust to.


4

Key Vocabulary



C

underpants prerequisite interaction

initially closed off intimately

disingenuous hypocritical follow through on

instigated suspicious taken aback

formality stony snobbishness

hostility authenticity counterparts

overture cloak hidden agenda



Useful Expressions

1. to get into hot water (exp.)

“He got into hot water when he came home late. His wife

was angry.“

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“Speaking without thinking can get you into hot water.“ Example 2


5

2. to be taken aback (exp.)

“I was taken aback by his harsh criticism.“

Make your own:

Example 1

“He was taken aback by the inappropriate request.“ Example 2



1. What are some qualities of peach cultures?

2. How are coconut cultures different from peach cultures?

3. How do coconuts react to peaches?

4. How do peaches react to coconuts?

5. What advice does the writer give for people in foreign cultures?


6

Wrap Up F



5 Tips for Presenting

Boring Technical

Information –

So It Isn't Boring

Warm-up Question

Have you ever experienced a great presentation? What was it that made it so

great?

Today’s Article

People often ask me some variant of the following question: OK, so I get the

idea that presentations should be interesting, and speakers should be

passionate. But I’m an accountant (or engineer, scientist, nuclear physicist,

doctor, etc) and what I have to present is highly technical and data-heavy. How

can I possibly make that interesting?

My answer always begins with one of the best college lecturers I ever

heard. Yes, he was a professor of accounting. He made profit and loss

fascinating by talking about the early days of the Wells Fargo company,

complete with cowboys, Indians, gunfights, and desperate men riding their

horses past human and equine endurance to get to safety. There

was plenty of passion, and interest, and I learned something about

double entry bookkeeping.

It can be done.

But seriously, my questioner will continue, how do you

make it interesting?

A

B

1


2

It’s not easy. I’ll grant you that. But it is possible. What it takes is passion. If

you’re thinking to yourself that you have a whole bunch of dull stuff to get

across to the audience, then you’re already thinking wrong, and you need to

start differently. Here’s how you do it.

1. First, realize giving a presentation is all about persuasion, not

information. The first step is to figure out what you’re really doing. Summarize

that in one sentence – e.g., “I’m going to persuade the audience that double-

entry bookkeeping is essential to making modern commerce work, because it

allows us to measure, understand, and control what we’re doing.”

2. Ask yourself, what is the problem that the audience has for which my

information is the solution? Talk about that problem first, and I guarantee you

the audience will be interested. Then they’ll want to hear your solution.

3. Don’t give out information, give examples and case studies. Case studies

and examples bring dry information to life.

4. Use vivid metaphors and analogies. If your information is highly abstract

and you can’t figure out a way to turn it into a case study or an example, give

us a metaphor. What is it like?

5. If all else fails, turn the information into a contest for the audience. In the

90s I taught public speaking at Princeton. I had a certain amount of the history

of rhetoric from the ancient Greeks to get across, because I thought it was

important. I made the whole thing a Jeopardy contest and the students woke

right up. Just about everyone gets cranked up when there’s a competition

involved. It makes your information more memorable. Do remember to give

out prizes.

With a little creative thought, any topic – any topic – can be made riveting. I

guarantee it. Failure to make a presentation interesting is a failure of

imagination.


3



Useful Expressions

1. I’ll grant you (v.p.)

“He took a risk, I’ll grant you. But, when you think about it,

the risk was pretty small.”

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“They do work hard, I’ll grant them that. But they still need

to improve their skill.”

Example 2

variant equine double-entry bookkeeping

dull persuasion commerce

dry metaphors analogies

abstract rhetoric

jeopardy

cranked up

memorable riveting vivid

Key Vocabulary



C


4



1. Think about one of your recent or upcoming presentations. What is the

problem that the audience has for which your information is the solution?

2. For the same situation in question 1, about what are you going to

persuade the audience?

3. For the same situation in questions 1 and 2, what kinds of case studies

and examples can you use? Or, what kind of metaphors or analogies

can you use? Discuss them with your teacher.

4. Finally, for the same situation above, what kind of contest can you make

in your presentation? Have you ever done this kind of thing before?

5. Which tip did you think is the most valuable? Why?

2. a failure of (the) imagination (exp.)

“The report condemned the security forces for a failure of

imagination.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“In the 21st Century, the world is guilty of failure of the

imagination if we cannot remedy illness and poverty.”

Example 2


5

Wrap Up F



HBR: Cultural

Differences Are More

Complicated than What

Country You’re From

Warm-up Question

How do you prepare before meeting people from different cultures?

Today’s Article

As part of doing business globally and operating across cultures, we often want

to predict how others are going to behave. Our typical heuristic, understandably,

is culture. We read a book, an article, or a blog post about cultural differences.

We learn about how Germans or Chinese or Italians are different from us —

how they think or act or even express emotions in a different way — and we

feel like we’ve done our homework. We feel prepared.

But we’re often surprised to discover that the person in question acts in a

completely different way from how we anticipated. Instead of being reticent,

our colleague from Asia is actually quite loud and confrontational. Instead of

behaving aggressively, our Israeli supplier is mild-mannered. And as

we encounter various other people who confound our expectations about

cultural differences, we wonder where we went wrong.

A

B

The problem comes from the questions we ask

ourselves. The obvious one is “What culture does this

person come from?” This question is not irrelevant.

National cultural differences do matter.

1


2

The way you network in India does tend to be different from how you network

in the United States; the way you motivate employees in Japan is quite

different from how you do so in Canada. But thinking that national cultural

differences are all that matters is a mistake. Culture isn’t everything. It turns

out that if we ask ourselves a better, more focused set of questions, we’ll be

far more successful at anticipating how people will act and preparing

ourselves for these differences.

Question 1: What do you know about the region? Just as it is useful to learn

something about culture norms when diagnosing your situation, it is good

practice to learn something about region norms. For example, if you were

doing business in the United States and assumed that people from the

Northeast would be quite similar to people from the South or from the Midwest,

you might find yourself surprised.

Question 2: What do you know about the company or industry? Like

countries and regions, companies and industries also have distinctive cultures.

How you would interact with a boss at Google is quite different from how you

would interact with a boss at Microsoft or Intel.

Question 3: What do you know about the people? Finally, ask yourself what

you know, or what you might be able to find out, about the people you are

interacting with. Are you communicating with a 60-year-old senior executive or

a 20-something manager? People who are older are often more likely to

reflect the norms of the overall society. It would also be useful to know if the

people you are interacting with are locals, born and raised in that particular

setting and without extensive travel experience, or if they are cosmopolitans,

with extensive travel background.

Doing your homework before entering a new culture is one of the keys for

success. But unless you ask the right questions, you might end up mistakenly

overlooking the real differences that matter.


3



Useful Expressions

1. all that matters (exp.)

“Despite all the mistakes along the way, we finished the

project on time. And, that’s all that matters.”

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“I hate to say it, but all that matters is the bottom line.” Example 2

heuristic reticent confrontational

mild-mannered to confound irrelevant

to network to tend to be

to diagnose norms

distinctive

a setting

cosmopolitan to overlook

Key Vocabulary



C


4



1. The article talked about people in the US coming from different ‘regions.’

How many different regions do you know about in the US? How many

are there actually?

2. The second key point talks about differences in company/industry

cultures. How would you expect to talk to someone from Google vs.

someone from Intel?

3. Do you have experience with other companies that have very different

cultures than the culture at your company?

4. Do you think the points the author makes about people are true – about

age and travel experience? Talk about your own experiences.

5. How do you think you can find out some of the information you need to

complete your preparation when meeting people from different cultures?

2. the keys to success (exp.)

“Nick said his keys to success were working hard, being

on time, and being extremely lucky.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“Warren Buffet’s key to success is to buy low and sell high.” Example 2


5

Wrap Up F



Three Forms of

Networking

Warm-up Question

What kinds of people belong to your network?

Today’s Article

Networking—creating a fabric of personal contacts who will provide support,

feedback, insight, resources, and information—is simultaneously one of the

most self-evident and one of the most dreaded developmental challenges that

aspiring leaders must address.

Their discomfort is understandable. Typically, managers rise through the ranks

by dint of a strong command of the technical elements of their jobs and a nose-

to-the-grindstone focus on accomplishing their teams’ objectives. When

challenged to move beyond their functional specialties and address strategic

issues facing the overall business, many managers do not immediately grasp

that this will involve relational—not analytical—tasks. Nor do they easily

understand that exchanges and interactions with a diverse array of current and

potential stakeholders are not distractions from their “real work” but are actually

at the heart of their new leadership roles.

Operational Networking

All managers need to build good working relationships with the

people who can help them do their jobs. The number and

breadth of people involved can be impressive—such

operational networks include not only direct reports

and superiors but also peers within an operational unit,

other internal players with the power to block or support

a project, and key outsiders such as suppliers, distributors,

A

B

1


and customers. The purpose of this type of networking is to ensure

coordination and cooperation among people who have to know and trust one

another in order to accomplish their immediate tasks. That isn’t always easy,

but it is relatively straightforward, because the task provides focus and a clear

criterion for membership in the network: Either you’re necessary to the job and

helping to get it done, or you’re not.

Personal Networking

Once aspiring leaders awaken to the dangers of an excessively internal focus,

they begin to seek kindred spirits outside their organizations. Simultaneously,

they become aware of the limitations of their social skills, such as a lack of

knowledge about professional domains beyond their own, which makes it

difficult for them to find common ground with people outside their usual circles.

Through professional associations, alumni groups, clubs, and personal

interest communities, managers gain new perspectives that allow them to

advance in their careers. This is what we mean by personal networking.

Many managers question why they should spend precious time on an activity

so indirectly related to the work at hand. Why widen one’s circle of casual

acquaintances when there isn’t time even for urgent tasks? The answer is that

these contacts provide important referrals, information, and, often,

developmental support such as coaching and mentoring.

Strategic Networking

When managers begin the delicate transition from functional manager to

business leader, they must start to concern themselves with broad strategic

issues. Lateral and vertical relationships with other functional and business

unit managers—all people outside their immediate control—become a lifeline

for figuring out how their own contributions fit into the big picture. Thus

strategic networking plugs the aspiring leader into a set of relationships and

information sources that collectively embody the power to achieve personal

and organizational goals.

2


Operating beside players with diverse affiliations, backgrounds, objectives,

and incentives requires a manager to formulate business rather than

functional objectives, and to work through the coalitions and networks needed

to sell ideas and compete for resources.

The key to a good strategic network is leverage: the ability to marshal

information, support, and resources from one sector of a network to achieve

results in another. Strategic networkers use indirect influence, convincing one

person in the network to get someone else, who is not in the network, to take

a needed action. Moreover, strategic networkers don’t just influence their

relational environment; they shape it in their own image by moving and hiring

subordinates, changing suppliers and sources of financing, lobbying to place

allies in peer positions, and even restructuring their boards to create networks

favorable to their business goals.

self-evident dreaded aspiring

dint grasp rise through the ranks

breadth criterion nose-to-the-grindstone

domains lateral kindred spirits

lifeline embody fit into the big picture

affiliations coalitions leverage

marshal

Key Vocabulary



C

3


4



Useful Expressions

1. to seek kindred spirits (exp.)

“He decided to attend the conference to seek kindred

spirits.“

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“It is difficult to know where to seek kindred spirits

outside of your workplace.“

Example 2

2. to fit in the big picture (exp.)

“It is discouraging working on something if you don’t know

how it fits in the big picture.“

Make your own:

Example 1

“As CEO he tried to develop a vision of how each new

product fit into the big picture of the company brand.“

Example 2


5



1. Why is networking uncomfortable?

2. Who are the members of an operational network? Why is this network

crucial?

3. What circles do the people of a personal network come from?

4. Why put energy into widening your personal network?

5. According to the author, what is the key to a good strategic network?

Wrap Up F



What Does It Mean to

Be a Mentor?

Warm-up Question

Who supported you early in your career? How did they help you?

Today’s Article

What does it mean to be a mentor? At its core, being a mentor is being a

trusted advisor. It can mean a lot of different things, but it all boils down to

making yourself available to support and advise someone when they need it,

delivering that support in a way that makes sense to them, and always, always

keeping that person's best interests in mind.

A mentor/mentee relationship can last for years, or it can last one coffee date.

When you mentor someone long-term, you really get to know and understand

their personality, learning style, and goals, which can set you up to offer richer,

more relevant advice over time.

But mentorship doesn't have to be long-term. It can also be a one-off or short-

term relationship, like when someone needs help working through a specific

problem -- such as a career transition or a problem with a coworker or manager.

A

B

In an article for Harvard Business Review, Venture

Capitalist Anthony T. Khan wrote about three types of

mentors. Let's explore each one below.

1


Peer Mentors

This one is more of an apprenticeship than a mentorship. Whether someone

is onboarding in a new job or simply at the early stages of their career, they

may benefit from having a peer mentor working at their same company to help

them settle in to their new job and climb the learning curve faster. A peer

mentor focuses on helping with specific skills, working toward specific goals,

and basic organization practices for how to get things done.

Career Mentors

When most people think of mentorship, they're thinking about career

mentorship. Career mentors are senior to their mentees at the same company

or a former company. Their purpose is to serve as a career advisor and

advocate, and to help reinforce how a mentee's job contributions fit into their

long-term career goals, and perhaps even how they fit into the bigger picture

of the company's goals.

Some companies have career mentorship programs built right into their

people development strategy. This seems to work best when it's not a

bureaucratic system, but instead more of a volunteer system where existing

employees volunteer to mentor newer employees. "It should be something

people know is embraced as part of the ethos of a firm," writes Khan.

Life Mentors

A life mentor is usually someone outside of their mentee's workplace. This

person can serve as an objective sounding board when that person finds

themselves faced with a difficult career challenge or is considering changing

jobs. Khan writes that life mentors shouldn't replace a peer or career mentor,

but "they are there to impart career wisdom."

Chances are, you'll be more than one of these types of mentors for multiple

people, and you may have a few mentees at a time.

2




mentor advisor at its core

mentee coffee date it all boils down to

one-off peer apprenticeship

onboarding settle in advocate

embraced ethos sounding board

impart

3

Key Vocabulary C



Useful Expressions

1. it all boils down to (exp.)

“The secret of real estate all boils down to location,

location, location.“

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“Creating a good work environment is not complicated. It

all boils down to the Golden Rule: treat others the way

you would like to be treated.“

Example 2


2. to serve as a sounding board (exp.)

“Would you mind serving as a sounding board as I

practice my presentation?“

Make your own:

Example 1

“I really enjoy our brainstorming sessions, when I can

serve as a sounding board for your crazy ideas. We

came up with some good stuff!“

Example 2

4



1. What is the advantage of a long-term mentorship?

2. Why does the author distinguish between an apprenticeship and a

mentorship? For the author, what do you think the difference is?

3. How is an advocate different from an advisor?

4. Why might it be important that a life mentor be someone outside the

mentee's workplace? If they are outside the workplace, can they still

give career wisdom?

5. In your experience, have you served as each of the three types of

mentor? Is there a type that you prefer?


5

Wrap Up F


Global Leadership

TED - Tony Robbins:

Why Do We Do

the Things We Do?

Warm-up Question

What things drive you to come to work every day?

What things drive you to achieve the things you have achieved?

Today’s Article

…When I get those calls about performance, that's one thing. How do you

make a change? I'm also looking to see what is shaping the person's ability to

contribute, to do something beyond themselves. Maybe the real question is, I

look at life and say there's two master lessons. One is: there's the science of

achievement, which almost everyone here has mastered amazingly. "How do

you take the invisible and make it visible," How do you make your dreams

happen? Your business, your contribution to society, money -- whatever, your

body, your family.

The other lesson that is rarely mastered is the art of fulfillment. Because

science is easy, right? We know the rules, you write the code and you get the

results. Once you know the game, you just up the ante, don't you? But when it

comes to fulfillment -- that's an art. The reason is: it's about appreciation and

contribution. You can only feel so much by yourself.

A

B

I've had an interesting laboratory to try to answer the real

question how somebody's life changes if you look at them

like those people that you've given everything to? Like all the

resources they say they need. You gave not a 100-dollar

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computer, but the best computer. You gave them love, joy, were there to

comfort them. Those people very often -- you know some of them -- end up

the rest of their life with all this love, education, money and background going

in and out of rehab. Some people have been through ultimate pain,

psychologically, sexually, spiritually, emotionally abused -- and not always, but

often, they become some of the people that contribute the most to society.

So, the question we've got to ask ourselves really is, what is it? What is it that

shapes us? We live in a therapy culture. Most of us don't do that, but the

culture's a therapy culture, the mindset that we are our past. And you wouldn't

be in this room if you bought that, but most of society thinks biography is

destiny. The past equals the future. Of course it does if you live there. But

what we know and what we have to remind ourselves --= because you can

know something intellectually and then not use it, not apply it -- We've got to

remind ourselves that decision is the ultimate power. When you ask people,

have you failed to achieve something significant in your life? Say, "Aye.“

Thanks for the interaction on a high level there. But if you ask people, why

didn't you achieve something? Somebody who's working for you, or a partner,

or even yourself. When you fail to achieve, what's the reason people say?

What do they tell you? Didn't have the knowledge, didn't have the money,

didn't have the time, didn't have the technology. I didn't have the right

manager.

What do all those, including the Supreme Court, have in common? They are a

claim to you missing resources, and they may be accurate. You may not have

the money, or the Supreme Court, but that is not the defining factor. And you

correct me if I'm wrong. The defining factor is never resources; it's

resourcefulness. And what I mean specifically, rather than just some phrase,

is if you have emotion, human emotion, something that I experienced from

you the day before yesterday at a level that is as profound as I've ever

experienced and I believe with that emotion you would have beat his ass and

won.

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Global Leadership

Key Vocabulary



C

invisible fulfillment appreciation

rehab psychologically therapy

to claim resourcefulness to beat (someone)



Useful Expressions

1. to up the ante (id.)

“Although we started out by playing $5 per hand, Peter

quickly upped the ante to $20.”

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“With the longer jail terms, lawmakers have upped the

ante for potential smugglers.”

Example 2

3

contribution mindset biography

defining factor profound

Global Leadership

2. do something beyond oneself… (expr.)

“She didn’t think she would be able to complete the

marathon, but after achieving it, she felt she had really

done something beyond herself.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“After accumulating a fortune and retiring, Bill Gates

wanted to do something beyond himself and create a

foundation to improve health and education.”

Example 2

Discussion & Debate E


1. What does Robbins say about achievement and fulfillment? Why?

2. What does he mean by the expression, “biography is destiny?”

Does he believe that?

3. What is the ultimate power, according to Robbins? Do you agree?

4. Regarding why we fail to achieve something, what is the defining factor

according to Robbins? And what drives that defining factor?

5. Talk about your own way to motivate – does it follow the same principle?

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Global Leadership

Wrap Up F


5

Global Leadership

Hearing isn’t

Listening

Warm-up Question

When you listen to other people speaking, do you do anything special to help

the communication? What do you do?

Today’s Article

Many managers hear very well but don’t listen. Are you confused? Let me

explain. Hearing is merely picking up sound vibrations. Listening is making

sense out of what we hear. That is, listening requires paying attention,

interpreting, and remembering sound stimuli.

Effective listening is active rather than passive. In passive listening, you’re like

a recorder. You absorb the information given. Active listening, in contrast,

requires you to “get inside” the speaker’s head so that you can understand the

communication from his or her point of view… You also listen objectively

without judging content. Finally, as an active listener, you take responsibility for

completeness.

The following eight behaviors are associated with effective active-listening skills:

A

B

Make eye contact. How do you feel when somebody doesn’t

look at you when you’re speaking? If you’re like most people,

you’re likely to think the person is aloof or has a personal

problem.

Nod your head up and down and show appropriate facial

expressions. The effective listener shows interest in what is

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being said. How? Through nonverbal signals. Affirmative head nods and

appropriate facial expressions, when added to good eye contact, show the

speaker that you’re listening.

Avoid distracting actions or gestures. The other side of showing interest is

avoiding actions that suggest that your mind is somewhere else. When

listening, don’t look at your watch, organize papers, or engage in similar

distractions. They make the speaker feel as if you’re bored or uninterested

and indicate that you aren’t paying attention…

Avoid interrupting the speaker. Let the speaker complete his or her thought

before you try to respond. Don’t try to second-guess where the speaker’s

thoughts are going. When the speaker is finished, you’ll know it!

Don’t overtalk. Although talking may be more fun and silence may be

uncomfortable, you can’t talk and listen at the same time. The active listener

understands this detail and doesn’t overtalk.

Key Vocabulary



C

merely to make sense out of

stimuli objectively to take responsibility for

aloof to show interest in distracting

to pay attention to

to engage in over talk

2

gesture

Global Leadership



Useful Expressions

1. to get inside someone’s head (expr.)

“To make a really effective presentation, you need to get

inside the heads of your audience.”

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“I had a coach in school that could really get inside the

players’ heads. He was really motivational and a great

coach.”

Example 2

2. to second-guess (v.p)

“We often need to second-guess our competitors’

strategies for the next year.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“Polls attempt to second-guess the actions that voters

will actually take on Election Day, but sometimes their

predictions aren’t very good.”

Example 2

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Global Leadership



1. What do you think active listening is? What does it require?

2. Some behaviors like eye contact can be culture-specific. Are the

suggestions the author makes about eye contact and facial expressions

universal or not?

3. The original article has 8 suggestions for improving listening, but only 5

are discussed in your readings. Can you think of what the missing 3

suggestions might be?

4. One of missing suggestions is to ‘paraphrase’ what the speaker says.

What does this word mean? Is this a strategy you use when listening?

5. Of the 8 total suggestions, how many do you use in your personal

communication style? Which is the most important suggestion, do you

think? Why?

Wrap Up F


4

Global Leadership

Choose the Right

Communication Channel

Warm-up Question

What is your preferred method of communication (for example, by talking face

to face, or through email, or another means)? Why?

Today’s Article

Neal L. Patterson, CEO at medical software maker Cerner Corp., maybe likes

e-mail too much. Upset with his staff’s work ethic, he recently sent a seething

e-mail to his firm’s 400 managers. Here is a piece of that email:

“… As managers—you either do not know what your EMPLOYEES are doing;

or YOU do not CARE … You have a problem and you will fix it or I will replace

you … What you are doing, as managers, with this company makes me SICK.”

Within hours of this e-mail, copies of it had made its way onto a Yahoo! Web

site. And within three days, Cerner’s stock price had plummeted 22 percent.

While one can argue about whether such harsh criticism should be

communicated at all, one thing is certainly clear: Patterson erred by selecting

the wrong channel for his message.

A

B

Why do people choose one channel of communication over

another—for instance, a phone call instead of a face-to-face

talk? And is there any general insight we might be able to

provide regarding choice of communication channel?

Evidence indicates that channels differ in their capacity to

convey information. Some are rich because they have the

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Global Leadership

ability to (1) handle multiple cues simultaneously, (2) facilitate rapid feedback,

and (3) be very personal. Others are lean because they score low on these

three factors. For instance, face-to-face talk scores highest in channel

richness; it offers multiple information cues (words, postures, facial

expressions, gestures, intonations), immediate feedback (both verbal and

nonverbal), and the personal touch of “being there.”

The choice of one channel over another should be determined by whether the

message is routine or non-routine. The former types of messages tend to be

straightforward and have a minimum of ambiguity. The latter are likely to be

complicated and have the potential for misunderstanding. Managers can

communicate routine messages efficiently through channels that are lower in

richness. However, they can communicate non-routine messages effectively

only by selecting rich channels.

It’s not just coincidence that more and more senior managers have been

using meetings to facilitate communication and regularly leaving the isolated

sanctuary of their executive offices to manage-by-walking-around. They are

relying on richer channels of communication to transmit more ambiguous

messages. The past decade has been characterized by organizations closing

facilities, imposing large layoffs, restructuring, merging, consolidating, and

introducing new products and services at an accelerated pace—all non-

routine messages high in ambiguity. It’s not surprising, therefore, to see the

most effective managers expanding their use of rich channels.

2

Global Leadership

Key Vocabulary



C

work ethic seething

harsh to err communication channel

insight cue lean

to plummet

posture gesture routine straightforward

ambiguity coincidence sanctuary

layoff restructuring consolidation



Useful Expressions

1. the personal touch (id.)

“The personal touch of the hotel staff made us feel very

welcome. They were always very considerate and

remembered our needs.”

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“You can win more sales by giving your customers the

personal touch.”

Example 2

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Global Leadership

2. manage-by-walking-around (expr.)

“Greg always believed in managing by walking around.

It earned him a lot of respect from the staff.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“Good project managers manage by walking around.” Example 2



1. Do you think Patterson’s action was appropriate? What should he have

done instead?

2. What is the definition of a ‘rich channel’? When do you think rich

channels of communication are suitable?

3. How would you rate the richness of a telephone call? How about for a

bulletin or report? And, finally, how about for email?

4. What was the recent trend the author talks about regarding

communication channels? What are some possible reasons for this

trend?

5. Have you ever made a mistake over a wrong choice of a communication

channel in the past? How did you fix it and what did you learn?

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Wrap Up F


5

Global Leadership

The Case FOR Conflict

Warm-up Question

Do you think all conflicts at work are bad?

Is there any good type of conflict possible, in your opinion?

Today’s Article

Conflict isn’t necessarily always bad. There are three types of conflict: task,

relationship, and process. Task conflict is conflict about the content and goals

of the work. Relationship conflict focuses on conflicts in interpersonal

relationships. And process conflict relates to conflicts over how work gets done.

The evidence indicates that while relationship conflicts are almost always

dysfunctional in groups or organizations, low levels of process and task conflict

are often functional. We usually don’t think that conflict is positive, so, I will

show how conflict can be something constructive.

Conflict is constructive when it improves the quality of decisions, when it

stimulates creativity and innovation, when it encourages interest and curiosity

among group members, when it provides a way that problems can be talked

about and stress released, and when it builds an environment of self-evaluation

and change. Studies show that conflict can improve the quality of decision-

making by allowing all points, particularly the ones that are unusual or held by a

minority, to be weighed in important decisions.

A

B

Conflict is a solution for groups that might be tempted to

“rubber stamp” decisions. Conflict challenges the status quo

and therefore furthers the creation of new ideas, and

increases the probability that a group will respond to change.

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Global Leadership

For an example of a company that has suffered because it has had too little

functional conflict, you don’t have to look further than automobile behemoth

General Motors. It hired and promoted individuals who were “yes men,” loyal

to GM to the point of never questioning company actions. Managers were, for

the most part, conservative white Anglo-Saxon males raised in the mid-

western United States who were very convinced that what had worked in the

past would continue to work in the future. By sheltering executives in the

company’s Detroit offices, the company further insulated managers from

conflicting perspectives.

Evidence demonstrates that cultural diversity among group and organization

members can increase creativity, improve the quality of decisions, and

facilitate change by enhancing member flexibility.

Key Vocabulary



C

to relate to dysfunctional

points to weigh the status quo

to look further behemoth yes men

functional

to the point of Anglo-Saxon to be insulated from

diversity facilitate

2

Global Leadership



Useful Expressions

1. to rubber-stamp (id.)

“School administrators were asked to rubber-stamp the

admission of Chung Yoo-Ra.”

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“Government case-workers felt the need to rubber-stamp

their approvals due to their work over-load.”

Example 2

2. yes-men (id.)

“The president didn’t want yes-men around him. He

needed to hear various opinions.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“She only wants yes-men in her administration.” Example 2

3

Global Leadership



1. What are the three types of conflict that the author mentions? Which

type does he think is bad? Why is this type bad and the others

‘functional?’

2. What are the 5 ways that conflict can be constructive? Do you agree

with these ideas? Why or why not?

3. Why is “rubber stamping” decisions dangerous? How about ‘yes men’ –

is it good to have ‘yes men’ sometimes?

4. The author talks about the danger of having a company with too little

functional conflict. What seems to be the underlying reason for that

situation at GM?

5. The author states that cultural diversity can increase creativity, improve

the quality of decisions, and facilitate change? Why or how does this

happen?

Wrap Up F


4

Global Leadership

Beware of Groupthink

Warm-up Question

Have you ever had a different opinion about an important issue from the

majority at a meeting, but you never spoke up about your opinion?

If so, why did you decide not to speak up?

Today’s Article

If you’re like me, you’ve occasionally felt like speaking up in a meeting or group

setting but decided against it. Why didn’t we speak up? If what we wanted to

say didn’t fit in with the dominant views of the group, we may have been victims

of “groupthink.” This is a phenomenon that occurs when group members

become so focused on achieving concurrence that the search for consensus

overrides any realistic assessment of deviant or unpopular views.

We have all seen the symptoms of the groupthink phenomenon: Group

members act to reinforce the assumptions that the group has made, no matter

how strongly evidence may contradict those assumptions. Members apply

direct pressure on those who momentarily express doubts about any of the

group’s shared views. Members holding different points of view keep silent

about their misgivings. Finally, there appears to be an illusion of unanimity. If

someone doesn’t speak, it’s assumed that he or she sides with the majority

view. In other words, abstention becomes viewed as a “Yes” vote.

A

B

In studies of historic American foreign policy decisions,

groupthink symptoms were found to prevail when

government policy-making groups failed— for example, at

Pearl Harbor in 1941 and during the escalation of the

Vietnam War. More recently, the Challenger space shuttle

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Global Leadership

disaster and the failure of the main mirror on the Hubble telescope have been

linked to decision processes at NASA where groupthink symptoms seemed to

exist.

Groupthink seems to occur most often where there is a clear group identity,

and where members hold a positive image of their group that they want to

protect. So it’s a means for a group to protect its positive image. In the cases

of the Challenger and Hubble fiascos, it was NASA’s attempt to confirm its

identity as “the elite organization that could do no wrong.”

As a manager, what can you do to minimize groupthink? One thing you can do

is play an impartial role when you’re a group leader. Leaders need to actively

seek input from all members and avoid expressing their own opinions. Another

thing is to appoint one group member to play the role of devil’s advocate. This

member’s role is to openly challenge the majority position and offer divergent

perspectives. Still another suggestion is to make exercises that stimulate

active discussion of diverse alternatives without threatening the group. One

such exercise is to have group members talk first about dangers or risks

involved in a decision first before discussion of potential gains. By requiring

members to first focus on the negatives of a decision alternative, the group is

less likely to stifle dissenting views and more likely to gain an objective

evaluation.

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Global Leadership

Key Vocabulary



C

phenomenon concurrence

to override deviant symptom

contradict doubt shred view

consensus

misgivings unanimity abstention

prevail escalation

elite impartial divergent

to stifle dissenting

fiasco



Useful Expressions

1. play (the role of) devil’s advocate (expr.)

“Could you play devil’s advocate with me for a bit? I

need to test an idea I had.”

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“I often played the role of devil’s advocate for my

colleagues in law school as they prepared their cases.”

Example 2

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Global Leadership

2. to be a means for something (v.p)

“Most people consider money to be a means for getting

other things that they want in life.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“Travel is a means to get to another place, but it is also

an end because the journey is also pleasurable.”

Example 2



1. Define “groupthink” in your own words. Have you ever experienced or

witnessed groupthink at work?

2. What are the typical symptoms of groupthink that the article mentions?

Have you ever seen these symptoms in meetings that you have

attended?

3. The article mentions several famous cases of groupthink causing

disasters or near disasters. Choose one of those cases or another case

you might know and discuss it with your teacher.

4. The article makes 3 suggestions to help deal with groupthink. What are

they? Which idea do you like best, if any?

5. Did the article cause you to reconsider the way you lead your own

meetings? Why or why not?

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Wrap Up F


5

Global Leadership

Six Leadership Styles

Warm-up Question

What was the leadership style of your most effective boss?

What is your leadership style like?

Today’s Article

Leadership is less about your needs, and more about the needs of the people

and the organization you are leading. Leadership styles are not to be tried on

like suits, to see which fits. Rather, they should be adapted to the demands of

the situation, the requirements of the people involved and the challenges facing

the organization.

In the book “Primal Leadership,” Daniel Goleman describes six different styles

of leadership. The most effective leaders can move among these styles,

adopting the one that meets the needs of the moment. They can all become

part of the leader’s repertoire.

VISIONARY. This style is most appropriate when an organization needs a new

direction. Its goal is to move people towards a new set of shared dreams.

“Visionary leaders articulate where a group is going, but not how it will get there

– setting people free to innovate, experiment, take calculated risks,” write Mr.

Goleman and his coauthors.

A

B

COACHING. This one-on-one style focuses on developing

individuals, showing them how to improve their performance,

and helping to connect their goals to the goals of the

organization. Coaching works best, Mr. Goleman writes, “with

employees who show initiative and want more professional

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development.” But it can backfire if it’s perceived as “micromanaging” an

employee, and undermines his or her self-confidence.

AFFILIATIVE. This style emphasizes the importance of teamwork, and

creates harmony in a group by connecting people to each other. This

approach is valuable “when trying to heighten team harmony, increase morale,

improve communication or repair broken trust in an organization.” But he

warns against using it alone, since its emphasis on group praise can allow

poor performance to go uncorrected. “Employees may perceive,” he writes,

“that mediocrity is tolerated.”

DEMOCRATIC. This style draws on people’s knowledge and skills, and

creates a group commitment to the resulting goals. It works best when the

direction the organization is unclear, and the leader needs the collective

wisdom of the group. Mr. Goleman warns that this consensus-building

approach can be disastrous in times of crisis, when urgent events demand

quick decisions.

PACE-SETTING. Here the leader sets high standards for performance. He or

she is “obsessive about doing things better and faster, and asks the same of

everyone.” But this style should be used sparingly, because it can undercut

morale and make people feel as if they are failing. “Our data shows that,

pacesetting often poisons the climate,” Goleman writes.

COMMANDING. This is classic “military” leadership – probably the style most

often used, but least often effective. Because it rarely involves praise and

frequently employs criticism, it undercuts morale and job satisfaction. It is only

effective in a crisis, when an urgent turnaround is needed. Even the modern

military has come to recognize its limited usefulness.

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Global Leadership

The Six Leadership Styles (Goleman)

Commanding Visionary Affiliative Democratic Pace-setting Coaching

The leader's

modus operandi

Demands

immediate

compliance

Mobilizes

people toward a

vision

Creates

harmony and

builds

emotional

bonds

Forges

consensus

through

participation

Sets high

standards for

performance

Develops

people for the

future

The style in a

phrase

“Do what I tell

you” “Come with me”

“People come

first”

What do you

think?”

Do as I do,

now” “Try this”

Underlying

emotional

intelligence

competencies

Drive to

achieve

initiative, self-

control

Self-

confidence,

empathy,

change catalyst

Empathy,

building

relationships,

communication

Collaboration,

team

leadership,

communication

Conscientiousn

ess, drive to

achieve,

initiative

Developing

others,

empathy, self-

awareness

When the style

works best

In a crisis, to

kick start a

turnaround, or

with problem

employees

When changes

require a new

vision, or when

a clear direction

is needed

To heal rifts in a

team or to

motivate people

during stressful

circumstances

To build buy-in

or consensus,

or to get input

from valuable

employees

To get quick

results from a

highly

motivated and

competent

team

To help an

employee

improve

performance or

develop long-

term strengths

Overall impact

on climate Negative

Most strongly

positive Positive Positive Negative Positive

Source: Goleman, Daniel, “Leadership That Gets Results”, 2000

Key Vocabulary



C

repertoire take calculated risks

initiative backfire micromanaging

professional development undermine emphasize

one-on-one

harmony morale perceive

mediocrity tolerated

collective consensus building disastrous

sparingly undercut

commitment

turnaround

praise frequently employ

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Useful Expressions

1. less about … and more about … (expr.)

“Personal growth is less about learning new lessons and

more about unlearning the bad habits.”

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“Nowadays, it is less about being inventive and more

about owning the royalties associated with your own

music.”

Example 2

2. take a calculated risk (v.p)

“Taking their dispute to arbitration was definitely a

calculated risk.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“The key to being successful in the long run is taking

calculated risks that minimize negatives and maximize

positive outcomes.”

Example 2

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Global Leadership



1. What does the author mean by “Leadership styles are not something to

be tried on like so many suits, to see which fits”?

2. Consider your most admired leaders, what management style did they

prefer? Did you ever observe them change styles?

3. What are the factors which determine the right management style?

4. Why is the “consensus-building approach disastrous in times of crisis”?

5. Why is the “military” style of leadership “classic”. What does the author

mean with “probably the most often used, but the least often effective”?

Do you agree?

Wrap Up F


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Global Leadership

HBR - How to Preempt

Team Conflict

Warm-up Question

What kind of team members do you work well or not work well with?

Today’s Article

Team conflict can add value or destroy it. Good conflict fosters respectful

debate and yields mutually agreed-upon solutions that are often far superior to

those first offered. Bad conflict occurs when team members simply can’t get

past their differences, killing productivity and stifling innovation. Destructive

conflict typically stems not from differences of opinion but from a perceived

incompatibility between the way certain team members think and act.

The conventional approach to working through such conflict is to respond to

clashes as they arise. But this approach routinely fails because it allows

frustrations to build for too long, making it difficult to reset negative impressions

and restore trust.

In their research on team dynamics and experience working with executive

teams, Toegel and Barsoux have found a proactive approach to be much more

effective. In this article, they introduce a methodology that focuses on how

people look, act, speak, think, and feel. Team leaders facilitate

A

B

five conversations—one focused on each category—before

the team gets under way, to build a shared understanding of

the process, rather than the content, of work and lay the

foundation for effective collaboration.

1

Global Leadership

Although unconsciously, people often judge one another by only first

impressions. Because first impressions are not always correct, this often

creates problems among team members. Using a proactive approach allowed

the teams to foresee possible problems that could arise based on personality,

work ethic, speech, dress, etc. This helped smooth the problems out before

they happened. It also helped team members be more understanding of each

other if a problem did arise.

This allowed team leaders to plan and avoid destructive conflict. Since conflict

is always going to arise at some point, this study can help managers facilitate

good conflict instead. As mentioned before, good conflict helps produce

solutions that are desirable. This kind of preemptive solution is thus attractive

to managers who want to focus on their project.

Key Vocabulary



C

foster stifling destructive

clashes proactive methodology

collaboration to foresee preemptive

2

Global Leadership



Useful Expressions

1. get past their differences (expr.)

“When you work in a team, you need to get past your

differences and work together.”

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“Don't focus on the differences. Get past your

differences and find what you have in common.”

Example 2

2. to restore trust (v.p)

“After someone hurt her, it was hard for her to restore

trust in people.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“If someone tells one of your secrets, it will be difficult to

restore trust in that person later.”

Example 2

3

Global Leadership



1. How can you apply these five conversations in a future project?

2. What are some ways people judge others when they first meet? What

about you?

3. If you were gathering a team of workers for a project, what would you

look for in your team members? (Example: creative, speaks their mind,

on time, etc.)

4. This study was done by a team from Harvard. Do you think teams work

together differently based on cultural backgrounds?

(Example: a team from Korea and a team in Europe)

5. Do you agree that addressing problems preemptively (before they

happen) is better than waiting until problems arise? Give reasons.

Wrap Up F


4

Global Leadership

HBR - Leading the Team

You Inherit

Warm-up Question

Do you remember the very first time you became a manager?

How did you like the team you had to work with at the beginning of your job as

a manager?

Today’s Article

Most leaders don’t have the luxury of building their teams from scratch. Instead

they’re put in charge of an existing group, they need guidance on the best way

to take over the organization. Watkins, an expert on transitions, suggests a

three-step approach to improve performance:

1. Assess.

Act quickly to size up the personnel you’ve inherited, systematically gathering

data from one-on-one chats, team meetings, and other sources. Reflect, too,

on the business challenges you face, the kinds of people you want in various

roles, and the degree to which they need to collaborate.

2. Reshape.

Adjust the makeup of the team by moving people to new positions, shifting their

responsibilities, or replacing them. Make sure that everyone is aligned on goals

and how to achieve them-you may need to change the team’s

A

B

stated direction. Consider also making changes in the way

the team operates (reducing the frequency of meetings, for

example, or creating new subteams). Then establish ground

1

Global Leadership

rules and processes to sustain desired behaviors, and revisit those

periodically.

3. Accelerate

Set your people up for some early wins. Initial successes will boost everyone’s

confidence and reinforce the value of your new operating model, thus paving

the way for ongoing growth.

Executives almost always give trustworthiness the most weight. That’s

because they view it as a sign of inherent character-not something that can be

strengthened with good management. However, leaders do think they can

help team members improve their focus and energy.

Quality Description

Competence Has the technical expertise and experience to do the job

effectively

Trustworthiness Can be relied upon to be straight with you and to follow

through on commitments

Energy Brings the right attitude to the job (isn’t burned-out or

disengaged)

People skills Gets along well with others on the team and supports

collaboration

Focus Sets priorities and sticks to them, instead of veering off in

all directions

Judgment Exercises good sense, especially under pressure or when

faced with making sacrifices

Table 1 - What qualities are you looking for?

2

Global Leadership

Key Vocabulary



C

reshape transition

systematic reflect collaborate

subteam shift align

inherit

frequency revisit periodically

accelerate initial

reinforce articulate commitment

disengage

boost



Useful Expressions

1. veer off (v.p)

“The tire blew out, and the car veered off the road.”

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“They were expecting the hurricane to hit the South

Carolina coast, but it veered off and didn't hit until Virginia.”

Example 2

3

Global Leadership

2. pave the way for (expr.)

“The procedure helped pave the way for successful open

heart surgery using the heart-lung machine.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“Scientists hope that data from this expedition will pave

the way for a more detailed exploration of Mars.”

Example 2



1. After reading the article, has your idea of team or employee evaluation

changed? If so, how has it changed your view?

2. Do you agree or disagree to the steps provided in the article for

transition? Give reasons.

3. Do you have any other qualities you would like to recommend when

observing qualities of your employees?

4. Would you consider following the guidance provided in this article and

implement them in your team?

5. Have you ever been part of a team where there was a drastic change in

leadership? How did the leader handle the situation? What advice would

you give someone in that situation?

4

Global Leadership

Wrap Up F


5

Global Leadership

How Elon Musk Builds

Organizations that

Can Achieve Anything

Warm-up Question

What do you know about Tesla and SpaceX? What makes these organizations

so special?

Today’s Article

Innovation Leader: How can big companies with long-established business

models apply Musk’s principles?

One of his first principles is think everything from the ground up; pick your ideal

product and then try to build it. When someone says this isn’t the way we do it,

it’s, “Why do you do it that way?” Or someone says it can’t be done, it’s, “Why

can’t you do it?” He gets all the way down to if physics is the reason you can’t

do something, he’ll accept that. Other than that, he says, “I want to make it the

way it should be made.”

He’s had the luxury of starting from scratch in one industry that was 100 years

old and another that was 60. The automakers are still grossly underestimating

what’s happening. It’s not like the electric car is that [advanced], but it’s really

the software inside the car that’s light years ahead of Detroit.

A

B

The aerospace guys are all of sudden afraid and have tried

to respond. These companies are not built to respond to this

challenge; they’re completely structured on government deals

1

Global Leadership

that are so bloated, and they’re not built to operate lean.

Innovation Leader: How is he able to bypass internal bureaucracy?

Vance: He does run a very flat structure. You can contact anyone, including

Elon, without a problem. The biggest thing with both companies is that they

build everything in the same building – complete integration. SpaceX makes

about 90 percent of their rockets themselves, whereas Lockheed and Boeing

contract among like 12,000 suppliers to build their rockets. There are cases

where the other guys buy a radio for $100,000, and SpaceX builds their own

for $5,000.

…The engineers have to physically sit on the manufacturing floor. At SpaceX,

in the middle of the manufacturing floor, there’s this giant glass cubicle office

building. The people have to walk through the floor to get to their offices; they

have to look at everything that’s going on. At Tesla, it’s the same. All these

people have no choice but to communicate with each other.

With traditional aerospace companies, they have their software guys in L.A.

because that’s where the talent is, and then they build the rockets in like

Georgia or Alabama, where labor is cheaper. Elon is manufacturing in Silicon

Valley and L.A. at a time when we’re being told that’s impossible. He believes

all this has to be integrated – to move fast and do things cheaper. … It’s funny

because all these industries started out this way. He’s a throwback. He’s doing

what Henry Ford used to do.

2

Global Leadership

Key Vocabulary



C

long-established from the group up physics

to start from scratch bloated to be light years ahead

integration cubicle

lean bypass the bureaucracy complete

labor

throwback



Useful Expressions

1. to build from the ground up (expr.)

“The company was built from the ground up by two very

creative people.”

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“He designed the house from the ground up; she learned

the family business from the ground up..”

Example 2

3

Global Leadership

2. to start from scratch (expr.)

“She baked the cake from scratch using only fresh

ingredients and her mother’s recipe.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“My laptop crashed and I lost all my work. I had to rewrite

the paper from scratch.”

Example 2



1. What can companies learn from the way Musk runs his companies?

2. What are some ways that companies run by Musk operate differently

from longer-established ones?

3. How does Musk ensure that different departments communicate with

each other?

4. In what way is Elon Musk like Henry Ford?

Does that mean that his companies are like traditional companies?

5. What do you think Musk values?

How do his companies reflect those values?

4

Global Leadership

Wrap Up F


5

Global Leadership

Four Job Design Actions

that Will Make Employees

More Productive

Warm-up Question

When you assign tasks to your subordinates, do you follow special rules to try

to get more productivity out of your workers? What are those rules?

Today’s Article

In spite of the reality that there are no ideal job designs, there is substantial

evidence that most people seem to have four common characteristics they

prefer in a job. To the degree that you enrich jobs in your firm by encompassing

these characteristics, you increase the probability that people will like their jobs

and be motivated to generate high productivity in those jobs.

The following suggestions specify the types of changes in jobs that are most

likely to lead to improving their productivity potential.

Combine tasks. Managers should seek to take existing and fractionalized tasks

and put them back together to form a new and larger module of work. This

allows employees to do a greater variety of tasks, display more of their talent

and skills, and form an identifiable and meaningful whole. It also increases

employee “ownership” of the work and improves the likelihood

A

B

that employees will view their work as meaningful and

important.

Establish client relationships. The client is the user of the

product or service that the employee works on. Wherever

1

Global Leadership

possible, you should try to establish direct relationships between workers and

their clients. This makes the job more interesting and diverse, allows the

employee to get direct customer feedback on his or her performance.

Expand jobs vertically. Vertical expansion means giving employees

responsibilities and control that were formerly reserved for management. It

seeks to partially close the gap between the “doing” and the “controlling”

aspects of the job, and it increases employee autonomy. The use of self-

managed teams has been effective in increasing verticality. At the L-S

Electrogalvanizing Co., in Cleveland, the entire plant is run by self-managed

teams who do many of the tasks that used to be reserved for management.

The teams do their own hiring, scheduling, rotate jobs on their own, establish

production targets, set pay scales, and fire coworkers.

Open feedback channels. By increasing feedback, employees not only learn

how well they are performing their jobs, but also whether their performance is

improving, deteriorating, or remaining at a constant level. Ideally, this

feedback about performance should be received directly as the employee

does the job, rather than from management on an occasional basis. For

example, mechanics at General Electric’s aircraft engine plant in Durham,

North Carolina, get immediate feedback on how they’re performing.

Key Vocabulary



C

job design enrich encompass

fractionalized module identifiable

autonomy feedback channel

ownership meaningful diverse

to deteriorate

mechanic

2

Global Leadership



Useful Expressions

1. to close the gap (expr.)

“After introducing our expanded product line, we’ve

managed to close the gap between ourselves and our

largest competitor.”

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“In the last match, we really closed the gap to the next

team.”

Example 2

2. to be reserved for (v.p)

“This table is reserved for the Bradley party.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“The design tasks are reserved for our foreign design

team.”

Example 2

3

Global Leadership



1. What are the four main suggestions the author makes to improve “job

design”? Do you agree with the author?

2. Which of the suggestions is the most interesting to you? Why?

3. Have you ever tried to use any of these suggestions with your own

subordinates before? Do they work?

4. Do you think vertical expansion of jobs would work, or can it only work

in certain situations and jobs?

5. Discuss the idea of immediate feedback. How can an organization

implement it?

Wrap Up F


4

Global Business Trends

A

B

The Brilliant Drone

That’ll Deliver Medicine

Warm-up Question

Have you ever played with a remote controlled vehicle?

Did you ever use it to deliver something?

Today’s Article

WHEN MOST PEOPLE hear the word “drone” they either think of uncrewed

military aircraft or those multi-rotor mini-copters that could one day deliver

packages to your doorstep. But what if the package is the plane? That’s the

idea behind the Aerial Platform Supporting Autonomous Resupply Actions

(APSARA) drone, a cardboard glider that carries about two pounds of cargo.

“It looks like a pizza box that’s been shaped into a wing,” says Star Simpson,

an engineer at San Francisco robotics company Otherlab. Her team designed

and built APSARA with funding from DARPA , which challenged them to

develop a single-use delivery vehicle for emergency scenarios. But, DARPA

being DARPA, there was a twist: The drones had to not only carry a small

payload and land where you told them to—once they were on the ground, they

had to disappear.

Cardboard was an obvious choice. It’s cheap, lightweight,

and can decompose in a matter of months. Plus, the

material has a proven track record among drone hobbyists.

The APSARA advances cardboard-drone design with

something Simpson calls origami thinking; her team’s

1


three-foot-wide drone is made of scored and laser-cut cardboard sheets that

take about an hour to fold and tape together. Simpson calls it the world’s most

functional paper airplane.

Cardboard is the first step on the path toward drones that degrade quickly and

completely. The APSARA’s final design actually calls for a mushroom-based

material called mycelium, which Simpson says should decompose in a matter

of days, not months. The next trick: Make the drone’s electronics disappear.

Today, the APSARA uses a GPS unit and two wing-flap motors to bring it

within 50 feet of a preprogrammed landing spot, but Darpa has another

project devoted to ephemeral electronics that could soon allow it to leave

almost no trace.

That’s important. The APSARA is designed to be deployed by the hundreds or

thousands, to deliver supplies during a humanitarian crisis, or in a battle’s

aftermath. For security and ecological reasons alike, the last thing anyone

wants is a landscape covered in drone bits.

Now an Otherlab spin-off company called Everfly is hoping to refine the

prototype for use by humanitarian groups like the Red Cross or MSF .

Simpson thinks Everfly can scale the design to carry a 22-pound payload

(that’s about 120 Clif bars). While it may not be as sexy as a whirring drone

carrying your UPS package, we bet anyone in dire straits would be more than

happy to see a mushroom wing full of energy bars gently floating in for a

landing.

2




Useful Expressions

1. with a twist (expr.)

“The movie ‘Her’ is a love story with a twist. The twist is

that the “her” the man falls in love with is his OS.”

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“A punchline is often a common situation with a twist.” Example 2

Key Vocabulary



C

drone uncrewed multi-rotor

mini-copters autonomous glider

decompose proven track record

single-use scenario payload

hobbyist

origami degrade devoted

aftermath spin-off

ephemeral deploy humanitarian

prototype

scale whirring rethink

3




1. What makes this drone different from conventional drones?

2. Who funded the drone? Do you know of any other projects funded by

this organization?

3. What are the next steps for the APSARA project?

4. Does this drone have a commercial function?

5. What do you think of “ephemeral electronics”? Is it possible to make

electronics components that biodegrade quickly? What sorts of

applications would single-use electronics have?

2. in dire straits (id.)

“The earthquake and the drought left the region in dire

straits for a long time.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“I’m really in dire straits. I have no money and I have no

place to stay.”

Example 2

4


Wrap Up F


5


A

B

Activist Sues Korean,

Chinese Authorities over

Air Pollution

Warm-up Question

What do you do to protect yourself from microdust?

Today’s Article

An environmental activist and a lawyer filed a compensation suit against the

governments of Korea and China, Wednesday, claiming their inaction on fine

dust puts people's health at greater risk.

In the complaint lodged with the Seoul Central District Court, Choi Yul,

president of the Korean Green Foundation, said, "The extent of air pollution

caused by fine dust has reached unbearable levels. As a member of the

international community, China bears responsibility to keep air pollutants under

control. But, it has failed to do so.“

Lawyer Ahn Kyoung-jae said he has fallen victim to fine dust. In the complaint,

Ahn said he began suffering from asthma after hiking Mount Bongui, March 27,

2017, when the fine dust level was high.

They also criticized the Korean government.

"The Korean Constitution states every man has the right to

pursue happiness, and the air pollution issue is

demonstrating the government is failing to deliver

that to the people," they said.

1


Five other individuals also joined Ahn and Choi in the suit. They are each

demanding 3 million won ($2,669) in compensation.

The legal action comes when Korea's air pollution is at its worst. Spring is a

bad time for fine dust, and the Ministry of Government says the majority of

particulate matter comes from China.

The move could resume a debate over whether China is to blame for fine dust

in Korea. While acknowledging China's contribution, many don't agree Beijing

should be solely held responsible.

"Most of the pollutants come from our living environment but the government

has been blaming cars, China and even cooking mackerel fish for years," Prof.

Kim Dong-sool at Kyung Hee University told the Financial Times recently. Kim

told The Korea Times that his school's research team found China is to blame

for only 30 percent of the fine dust.

Experts say a big portion comes from Korea's coal-fired power plants and

factories that emit particulate matter without being thoroughly regulated, a

failure on the part of the government. They insist the government should shut

down coal-fired power plants that are old, and be actively engaged in finding

renewable energy sources to reduce fine dust emissions.

The lawsuit is also a reflection of public anger against the government in

handling air pollution. Last weekend, people staged a protest in downtown

Seoul, demanding the government act more swiftly and decisively. Another

gathering is scheduled for June.

Prof. Kim said the lawsuit has scored a meaningful achievement. "Although

the suit is a symbolic act and it is not likely to draw attention from any country,

it reminds people of the importance of air quality and gets people to do

something."

2




Useful Expressions

1. file a (law)suit against (v.p)

“The plaintiff filed a lawsuit against the defendant,

seeking monetary damages for stealing trade secrets.”

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“The former worker filed a suit against his former

employer claiming discrimination.”

Example 2

Key Vocabulary



C

activist compensation suit

inaction lodge victim

mackerel coal-fired

asthma particulate pollutant

emit

renewable emission staged

symbolic

3




1. Who is at fault for the bad air quality in Korea?

2. Who filed the suit? What is their goal in filing this suit?

3. Do you think that the lawsuit will change anything?

4. What do you think can be done to improve the situation? What kinds of

measures can be taken? Distinguish the measures between short-term,

mid-term, and long-term.

5. How do you think the lawsuit will be resolved?

2. to fall victim to (expr.)

“Several people fell victim to the murderer.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“Every year, thousands of people fall victim to this scam.” Example 2

4


Wrap Up F


5


A

B

Will the Rise of AR

Mean the End for

Smartphones and TVs?

Warm-up Question

Do you prefer having physical books and records or virtual books and albums

on the cloud?

Today’s Article

At this year's F8 conference, taking place this week, Zuckerberg doubled down

on the company's ambitious 10-year master plan, which was first revealed in

2016. According to this timeline, Facebook expects to turn artificial intelligence,

ubiquitous internet connectivity, and virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR)

into viable parts of its business over the next decade.

To accelerate the rise of augmented reality, Zuckerberg unveiled the Camera

Effects platform — basically a set of tools for outside developers to build

augmented-reality apps that you can access from the existing Facebook app's

camera. That would theoretically open the door for Facebook to host the next

phenomenon like "Pokémon Go.“

While this announcement seems pretty innocuous, make no mistake —

Facebook is once again putting itself into direct competition with

Google and Apple, trying to create yet another parallel

universe of apps and tools that don't rely on the

marketplace of smartphones.

1


This time, Facebook is also declaring war on pretty much everyone else in the

tech industry, too. While it'll take at least a decade to fully play out, the stuff

Facebook is talking about today is just one more milestone on the slow march

toward the death of the smartphone and the rise of even weirder and wilder

futures.

Figure 1. The Facebook 10 Year Roadmap

"We don't need a physical TV. We can buy a $1 app 'TV' and put it on the wall

and watch it," Zuckerberg told USA Today ahead of his keynote. "It's actually

pretty amazing when you think about how much of the physical stuff we have

doesn't need to be physical.“

But it's not just TVs. This philosophy could extend to smartphones,

smartwatches, tablets, fitness trackers, or anything else that has a screen or

relies on one to work. Zuckerberg even showed off a street art installation

that's just a blank wall until you wave the Facebook camera app over it to

reveal a mural.

For Microsoft, which has already dipped its toe in this area with its HoloLens

holographic goggles, this is a foregone conclusion. HoloLens boss Alex

Kipman recently called the demise of the smartphone the "natural conclusion"

of augmented reality and its associated technologies.

2


Even Zuckerberg acknowledges it's a long road ahead. That said, this Camera

Effects platform, should it succeed in attracting a bunch of users, could go

down as a savvy move. The apps that are built for the Facebook Camera

today could wind up as the first versions of the apps you'd use with those

glasses.

In the short term, Facebook's play for augmented reality is going to look a lot

like competing with Snapchat — and in a meaningful way, it is. Facebook

needs developer and user love, so it needs to keep offering fun and funny

tools to keep people from moving away from using its apps.

In the long term, though, this Facebook versus everybody else battle will

usher in a new kind of computing age — and pretty much every tech company

out there will get caught in the crossfire, as Apple, Google, Microsoft, and

more rush out their responses to this extremely existential,

Key Vocabulary



C

double down on ubiquitous viable

innocuous parallel universe declare

milestone keynote extend

street art mural foregone

demise savvy caught in the crossfire

existential

3




Useful Expressions

1. double down (id.)

“Failing several times did not stop him. He just doubled

down until he succeeded.”

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“The administration needs to double down on the call for

political reform.” (from the Washington Post)

Example 2

2. get caught in the crossfire between (expr.)

“The soldier was wounded when he got caught in the

crossfire between the enemy and his fellow marines.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“Children sometimes get caught in the crossfire when

parents argue.”

Example 2

4




1. If Facebook achieves its goals, what kind of effect do you think it will

have on our lives in the future?

2. Beepers, mobile phones and mp3 players were all replaced by the

smartphone. Do you think that the smartphone will be replaced soon?

3. What do you think of Zuckerberg’s roadmap for Facebook? If tech

development actually follows this roadmap what effect will it have on the

industry?

4. In the article Zuckerberg suggests that owning physical objects is

unnecessary if we can have virtual ones. Which physical objects do you

treasure? Which objects would you prefer to have virtually?

5. Do you have a Facebook account? How engaged is your life with social

media such as Facebook?

Wrap Up F


5


A

B

Silicon Crumble:

Intel on the Outside

Warm-up Question

Do you have any experience working with machine learning recently?

Did you use any specialized hardware for that?

Today’s Article

“WE ALMOST went out of business several times.” Usually founders don’t talk

about their company’s near-death experiences. But Jen-Hsun Huang, the boss

of Nvidia, has no reason to be coy. His firm, which develops microprocessors

and related software, is on a winning streak. In the past quarter its revenues

increased by 55%, reaching $2.2bn, and in the past 12 months its share price

has almost quadrupled.

A big part of Nvidia’s success is because demand is growing quickly for its

chips, called graphics processing units (GPUs), which turn personal computers

into fast gaming devices. But the GPUs also have new destinations: notably

data centers where artificial-intelligence (AI) programs gobble up the vast

quantities of computing power that they generate.

Things were straightforward when Moore’s law, named after Gordon Moore, a

founder of Intel, was still in full swing. Whether in PCs or in servers (souped-up

computers in data centers), one kind of microprocessor, known

as a “central processing unit” (CPU), could deal with most

“workloads”, as classes of computing tasks are called.

Because Intel made the most powerful CPUs,

1


it came to rule not only the market for PC processors (it has a market share of

about 80%) but the one for servers, where it has an almost complete

monopoly. In 2016 it had revenues of nearly $60bn.

This unipolar world is starting to crumble. Processors are no longer improving

quickly enough to be able to handle, for instance, machine learning and other

AI applications, which require huge amounts of data and hence consume

more number-crunching power than entire data centers did just a few years

ago. Intel’s customers, such as Google and Microsoft together with other

operators of big data centers, are opting for more and more specialized

processors from other companies and are designing their own to boot.

Nvidia’s lucky break came in the midst of one of its near-death experiences

during the 2008-09 global financial crisis. It discovered that hedge funds and

research institutes were using its chips for new purposes, such as calculating

complex investment and climate models. It developed a coding language,

called CUDA, that helps its customers program its processors for different

tasks. When cloud computing, big data and AI gathered momentum a few

years ago, Nvidia’s chips were just what was needed.

And GPUs are only one sort of “accelerator”, as such specialized processors

are known. The range is expanding as cloud-computing firms mix and match

chips to make their operations more efficient and stay ahead of the

competition. “Finding the right tool for the right job”, is how Urs Hölzle, in

charge of technical infrastructure at Google, describes balancing the factors of

flexibility, speed and cost.

2




Useful Expressions

1. be on a winning streak (expr.)

“The Cubs have been on a winning streak recently; they

appear to be unstoppable.”

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“Apple has been on a winning streak ever since Steve

Jobs rejoined the company as CEO.”

Example 2

Key Vocabulary



C

near-death experience to gobble up souped-up

rule the market unipolar world a lucky break

hedge funds gather momentum

the right tool for the right job

to boot

3




1. What are the reasons for Nvidia’s recent success, according to the

article?

2. Do you think Nvidia can sustain its recent performance?

3. Have you heard how Google and Microsoft are designing their own

solutions? Can you name and explain them?

4. What do you think will be the outcome of this story? Will Intel disappear

and Nvidia become dominant, or do you see another outcome? Please

discuss it with your teacher.

5. Do you know of any company that is struggling or going under? What

were they like in the past? Why are they struggling now? Give your

reasons.

2. in full swing (v.p)

“Summer is really in full swing these days; so many

people are away on vacation and the beaches are really

busy.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“By 10PM, the dance was in full swing. The dancehall

was full of people and there weren’t any free tables or

chairs available.”

Example 2

4


Wrap Up F


5


A

B

Will London Fall?

Warm-up Question

If you were a British citizen, would you have voted for or against Brexit?

Today’s Article

Brexit has thrown into disarray this great experiment in tolerance. Nobody can

predict what the city will look like in 10, 20, or 30 years. If spontaneous travel

between Europe and Britain no longer seems so simple, neither does the easy

exchange of people, capital, jobs, businesses and languages. Perhaps more

significant, it is no longer clear that these are meant to be admirable things,

here or anywhere.

“London is a weird place at the moment,’ said the writer Nikesh Shukla whose

book “The Good Immigrant” is made up of essays by nonwhite Britons about a

country from which they feel increasingly alienated. He lives in Bristol now but

grew up in London, and “The city,” he says, “feels like a uniquely encapsulated

version of what Britain means to me.”

“The government says it’s trying to get the country back, but in the process it’s

losing the heart of its people in London,” Mr. Shukla said. “People feel uneasy

because there are a lot of futures at stake. These are people who live in the city

who contribute to society, who have families, social structures and financial

commitments, whose future are now in doubt.”

What happens next? No one really knows. Pro-Brexit

Britons are happy, of course, even if headaches will follow.

This is probably the noisiest and most complicated divorce

in modern European history. London is still busy,

1


the Tube is still packed and the pubs are still full. But it is a weird moment.

The certainties that sustained a great city are no longer certain.

“You can’t live in an island and call it your oasis,” said Shirley Watkins, 83. “I

think it’s sad that we’re pulling out.”

People have complicated feelings about what might happen to London. “A lot

of people my age are not happy — are they going to have to move back to

France?” said Antoine Nauleau, a dual French-American citizen who works

here for now. But he said he can see another side to the argument in the

country in general. “It seems that the U.K. is losing a lot of support, but also

kind of defining itself.”

Is London lost? Not in the slightest, say those who voted for Britain to leave

the European Union. They say that London is reclaimed.

It is strange, the bustle. Construction crews are still putting up buildings --

monuments to London’s future -- as if nothing has changed. But you can hear

faint footsteps, too. Banks, investment firms and other companies are making

contingency plans to move elsewhere, if necessary. What then?

How do you define London? You don’t, really. “It’s an accordion breathing in

and out,” the Canadian author Craig Taylor wrote in “Londoners,” describing

its ever-shifting population.

Key Vocabulary



C

disarray alienated encapsulated

uneasy the ‘Tube’ reclaim

bustle contingency plans accordion

2




Useful Expressions

1. at stake (id.)

“People’s lives could be at stake.”

D

Make your own:

Example 1

The logical response is to give up, but there’s more at

stake than logic.”

Example 2

2. as if / as though (conj.)

“She behaved as if he weren’t there.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“They stared at me as though I was crazy.” Example 2

3




1. Which industry will be most affected by Brexit and why?

2. What effect will Brexit have on the semiconductor industry?

3. What expectations do pro-Brexit people have for the future?

4. What age group are most unhappy about the UK leaving the European

Union?

5. How will Brexit change London after it is finished?

Wrap Up F


4


A

B

4th Industrial Revolution

Key for Profits

for Next Decade

Warm-up Question

If you could invest in five stocks right now, which companies would they be and

why?

Today’s Article

Imagine an investor had some cash and bought her five favorite stocks before

she boarded a plane for an overseas trip. However, the plane crashed in the

ocean, claiming all aboard but the one investor. She washed up on the nearest

uninhabited island. After being marooned and living like Tom Hanks in the

movie "Cast Away" for the next two decades, she was rescued and returned

home to find herself rich because of the stocks.

Warren Buffett, the renowned value investor, recommends investors choose the

"desert island stock" portfolio. A finance team surveyed investors, analysts,

researchers and economists about their top five or favorite stocks they would

invest in if they were in her place. Responses varied.

Based on a survey of 20 professionals who gave their five desert island stocks,

Samsung Electronics, Naver, LG Chem, SK Telecom and AmorePacific were

the top choices. The most interesting commonality to note of

the survey is that almost all of the stocks they picked were

in the tech sector ― the industry that will thrive in the Fourth

Industrial Revolution.

1


Samsung Electronics and Naver have the technological capability to further

sharpen their edge in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Many say Samsung

Electronics has the potential to lead the tech revolution in the new age when

the market will see more robots and connected devices used in daily life.

With chips being essential elements for making robots come to life, Samsung

Electronics, the world's largest memory chipmaker, will benefit most from the

envisioned world. Samsung is at the forefront of tech companies leading the

Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Naver, the nation's largest search engine with a market cap of about 26 trillion

on, ranked second in the list of desert island stocks. The dominating internet

portal is the sixth largest on the KOSPI. Naver has been aggressive in

investing in artificial intelligence (AI). Given the majority of people here use

the portal, Naver is considered Korea's information gateway. With all the data

flowing through the search engine, Naver can provide information services via

data analysis aligned with the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

LG Chem also made the list because of its high potential in the business of

rechargeable batteries, which will be part of the crucial technologies of the

Fourth Industrial Revolution.

SK Telecom, the 13th biggest on the KOSPI, was highlighted for its efforts in

investing in next-generation technologies such as AI, big data and

autonomous driving. It has detailed plans to invest 11 trillion won in new

information and communication technology, including 5G telecommunication

networks for the future.

The survey also noted AmorePacific and its parent AmorePacific Group as a

company that not only has strength in cosmetics but also is looking to expand

into healthcare, another potential tech sector of the Fourth Industrial

Revolution. AmorePacific is the 15th-biggest cap on the stock market. Its

parent AmorePacific Group, which is also listed on the KOSPI, has a 35.4

percent stake in AmorePacific.

2




Useful Expressions

1. sharpen their edge (expr.)

“The company is cutting production costs in an attempt to

sharpen its competitive edge.”

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“I hope this English course will help me sharpen my edge

against other candidates during a company interview.”

Example 2

Key Vocabulary



C

uninhabited marooned commonality

thrive envisioned forefront

market cap aligned

3




1. The Fourth Industrial Revolution has been discussed heavily as the

main industry that will thrive in this article.

Could you explain the meaning of the Fourth Industrial Revolution?

2. Were the five stocks that you have chosen in the warm-up question the

same companies as in the article?

Has your opinion changed after reading the article?

3. Out of the five stocks which were mentioned in the article, which do you

think has the most potential?

4. Other than the technology industry, what other industries do you think

will be successful in the future?

5. How do you think business will change in the future?

What kind of work do you think will be popular in the next 10, 20 years?

2. highlighted (for) its efforts (v.p)

“The chipmaker company has highlighted its efforts to

enter the automotive chip market in 2017.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“The public national university is highlighted for its

strategies to combat student loan defaults this year!”

Example 2

4


Wrap Up F


5


A

B

How to Put Together

a Healthy, Happy Society

Warm-up Question

How can we make a happy society?

What are the essential ingredients, in your opinion?

Today’s Article

What does it take to make a healthy, happy society? How about a dose of

Norway? A smattering of Italy. And a dash of Canada. According to recent

reports, all three of these countries have strengths that make them great places

to live. And, good examples for other countries searching for health as well as

happiness.

Norway is the happiest country

This year Norway topped the United Nations’ World Happiness Report —

although it was in a statistical dead heat with Denmark, Iceland and

Switzerland.

All four countries ranked high for factors known to support happiness: caring,

freedom, generosity, honesty, health, income and good governance. They, and

the other top 10 countries, also scored well for longevity, strong social networks

and trust. The last one refers to an absence of corruption in business and

government.

Norway does have an advantage over some less-happy

countries — steady income from oil production and

1


one of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world. This allows the

government to fund programs that help keep Norwegians happy — like its

cradle-to-grave assistance programs.

Norway does have an advantage over some less-happy countries — steady

income from oil production and one of the largest sovereign wealth funds in

the world. This allows the government to fund programs that help keep

Norwegians happy — like its cradle-to-grave assistance programs.

But it may be how Norway handles its wealth that matters most.

Even when oil prices sag, Norway is still able to ride it out “by choosing to

produce its oil slowly, and investing the proceeds for the future rather than

spending them in the present,” says the report.

The United States, in spite of being known as an economic powerhouse, has

dropped in recent years. It landed in the 14th spot this year. The U.N. report

cites declining social support and an increase in corruption as eroding

America’s happiness.

Mental health drives happiness

Happiness also varies greatly within many countries. Unemployment and

income inequality account for some of these differences, especially in poorer

countries. But in all countries mental health, rather than physical health, is a

stronger factor for explaining why some citizens are happy and others are not.

In Western countries like the United States, “diagnosed mental illness

emerges as more important than income, employment or physical illness,”

write the authors of the report.

Health spending doesn’t equal health

Living in an unhappy country doesn’t always mean being unhealthy. Take Italy,

for example. It ranked 48th on the U.N.’s World Happiness Report, but it is

number one for health on the Bloomberg Global Health Index of 163 countries.

2


Part of Italy’s health success stems from a Mediterranean diet rich in fresh

vegetables and fruit, and healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil.

Diet may even trump healthcare spending. Italy spends only 9 percent of its

gross domestic product (GDP) on healthcare. The United States spends 17

percent of its GDP but ranked 34th on Bloomberg’s list. This is due in part to

more than two-thirds of the adult Americans being overweight or obese, a risk

factor for heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

America’s fragmented healthcare system may also be depressing the

country’s health. Access to care and life-saving medications — things that

people in countries like Canada take for granted — can have a big impact on

health, especially with serious and chronic medical conditions.

Key Vocabulary



C

dead heat governance longevity

wealth fund cradle-to-grave to sag

powerhouse to cite to trump

obese stroke diabetes

fragmented chronic sovereign

3




Useful Expressions

1. to ride it out (id.)

“If families keep an emergency cash fund, then they

should be able to ride out economic troubles.”

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“We rode out the bad storm by staying at the hotel

instead of going out.”

Example 2

2. stems from (id.)

“The recent difficulties all stem from mismanagement.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“Most prejudice stems from fear and lack of

understanding.”

Example 2

4




1. What are the main factors known to support happiness according to the

article?

2. Why did the US attain a lower ranking in happiness, despite it being a

much bigger economic powerhouse than Norway?

3. What is more important than physical health to explain differences in

happiness in Western countries? Do you agree with these findings?

4. Which things should we take ‘a dash of’ from each of Norway, Italy, and

Canada to make a healthy, happy society?

5. How about your own society? How can your own government make a

healthier, happier society?

Wrap Up F


5


A

B

What’s Behind the

Conflict Between

Google and Uber?

Warm-up Question

Do you enjoy driving? Would you like to have a car that drives itself?

Today’s Article

Travelling in self-driving cars will, eventually, be a common occurrence in cities.

The question is when. But a recent clash between Uber, the ride-hailing giant,

and Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has cast some doubts on the future of

self-driving technology and which company will profit from it.

Waymo, Alphabet’s autonomous car unit, has sued Uber for appropriation of

trade secrets and patent infringement. The result of the lawsuit could have big

implications both for companies and consumers. What is behind the dispute,

and which firm is likely to win out?

The problem can be summed up in one word: Ottomotto. Last August Uber

announced it had acquired a seven-month-old startup that specialised in

autonomous lorries, called Ottomotto, for around $680m. The young startup

was co-founded by Anthony Levandowski, a veteran of Alphabet’s self-driving

car efforts.

According to Waymo’s lawsuit, before abruptly resigning

from Alphabet and founding Ottomotto, Mr Levandowski

stole around 14,000 proprietary documents,

1


which has helped Uber replicate Waymo’s lidar technology. Lidar users lasers

to scan surrounding objects and is employed in some self-driving cars. Uber

denies the allegations, says its lidar system is different than Waymo’s and

suggests that Waymo is using this lawsuit to try to thwart the innovation and

business of a rival.

Court battles, like divorces, rarely end with either party looking good. But in

this instance Uber stands to lose the most. The conflict reinforces Uber’s

reputation as a rough-and-tumble startup with a culture of winning at all costs.

Mr Levandowski was in touch with Uber and lined up a potential acquisition

before he even left Waymo, according to Waymo’s allegations, and Ottomotto

was acting merely as a shell company to funnel talent and intellectual property

to Uber.

Alphabet, which has been working on autonomous cars since 2009 and was a

leader in the field, has recently found itself in fierce competition with other

companies. If it wins the lawsuit, it could slow down Uber’s progress. Waymo

has asked the judge for an injunction, which would bar Uber from using lidar

technology until the case is resolved. The judge is expected to make a

decision on whether to grant an injunction soon.

But while a lot of attention will be paid to which company will win out in the

lawsuit, it is also worth asking what this means for consumers. The arrival of

reliable self-driving cars could herald a safer era for people, with fewer

accidents and newly found time to accomplish things during commutes that

were previously spent staring at the road. Having more companies than

Waymo work toward that future will bring about innovation and speed up the

pace of progress. Whatever the result, ideally it will be delivered quickly so

everyone can get back to work.

2


1. to win out (id.)

“You can be sure that justice will win out in the end.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“Here is a chance for greengrocers to win out over the

supermarkets by selling local produce.”

Example 2

Key Vocabulary



C

ride-hailing autonomous appropriation

infringement lorries abruptly

proprietary lidar

to thwart rough-and-tumble shell company

to funnel injunction to bar

allegations

to grant to herald



Useful Expressions D

3


2. to cast doubt on (id.)

“The prosecutor presented a strong enough case to cast

doubt on the ex-wife’s alibi.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“The severe recession has cast doubt on the company’s

continuing viability.”

Example 2



1. Are you familiar with the new ‘lidar technology’?

How do you think this can change the future of driving in our lives?

2. After reading the article, which firm do you think is likely to win out in the

lawsuit eventually?

3. Do you agree with the statement that having more companies than

Waymo work toward that future will bring about innovation and speed up

the pace of progress?

4. Would you consider buying it for yourself or for any member of your

family? Would the safety of such technology concern you?

5. Mr Levandowski first worked on self-driving cars for Google and then

left to start his own company in the same industry. Do you think there

should be restrictions put on workers who leave a company and then

work for a competing company?

4


Wrap Up F


5


A

B

Computer and Internet

Pioneer Robert Taylor

Dies at 85

Warm-up Question

How often do you use the Internet? What do you usually use if for?

Today’s Article

Robert Taylor, a computer scientist who was instrumental in the creation of the

internet and modern computer, has died. He was 85.

Taylor, who had suffered from Parkinson's disease, died Thursday at his home

in Woodside, California, his son Kurt told The New York Times.

While many people played a role in building the internet, few made as many

contributions as Taylor. As a researcher for the Pentagon's Advanced Research

Projects Agency (ARPA) in 1966, Taylor was frustrated that he had to use three

separate terminals to communicate with researchers through incompatible

computer systems.

His solution was ARPANET, a single computer network to link each project with

the others that would evolve into what we now know as the internet. Taylor

correctly predicted the network would one day become an efficient

and necessary utility for the public.

"In a few years, men will be able to communicate more

effectively through a machine than face to face,“

he wrote in a 1968 paper.

1


In 1970, Taylor moved on to Xerox's famous Palo Alto Research Center

(PARC), where he oversaw design and creation of the Alto, considered a

pioneer in personal computers. The Alto was the first computer designed to

support an operating system based on a graphical user interface, a concept to

be copied by the operating systems that would follow.

Taylor's team also developed the networking technology Ethernet and a

WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) word processing program called

Bravo that would become the basis for Microsoft Word.

Taylor also played a key role in the creation of the computer mouse. While

serving as a project manager for NASA in 1961, Taylor learned of research

into interaction between humans and computers being conducted by

computer scientist Douglas Engelbart at the Stanford Research Institute.

Taylor directed more funding to the research, leading to the creation of the

computer mouse, which became a key element of both Macintosh and

Microsoft Windows-based computers.

In the 1980s, Taylor formed and ran the Digital Equipment Systems Research

Laboratory in Palo Alto, which, among other technologies, developed the

AltaVista search engine in 1995 -- two years before Google was founded.

Taylor was born in Dallas on Feb. 10, 1932. He began attending Southern

Methodist University at the age of 16 but considered himself "not a serious

student." (PDF5) After serving in the US Navy Reserve during the Korean

War, Taylor returned to his studies, earning bachelor's and master's degrees

in psychology at the University of Texas at Austin.

In 1999, Taylor was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation

"for visionary leadership in the development of modern computing technology,

including computer networks, the personal computer and the graphical user

interface.“

2


In 2004, he and other PARC researchers were awarded the National Academy

of Engineering's Draper Prize for development of "the first practical networked

personal computers.“

Taylor retired in 1996.

Key Vocabulary



C

myriad instrumental Parkinson’s

terminal incompatible evolve

utility oversaw earn

award serve retire

to play a key role in graphical user interface (GUI)

what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG)

3




Useful Expressions

1. play a (key) role in (v.p)

“She played a major role in negotiating the deal.”

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“The president tried to take credit for achievements that he

played no role in.”

Example 2

2. while many did something, few did something else (expr.)

“While many want to be famous, few really make it.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“While most people take the shuttle bus, a few people

ride bicycles.”

Example 2

4




1. What role did Robert Taylor play in the development of computers?

What do you think his most important contribution was?

2. What kind of university degrees did Taylor have? Were you surprised at

what subject he studied at university? Do you think there was a

connection between his success and his major?

3. What organizations did Taylor work for? What inventions was he

involved in? (For example: PARC – Alto)?

4. How did frustration lead to the invention of the internet? Can you think

of any examples of inventions inspired by frustration? What most

frustrates you about your work today?

5. Is it fair to credit Taylor with so many discoveries? After all, these were

team projects. Do you think that he was just lucky to repeatedly “be in

the right place at the right time?”

Wrap Up F


5


A

B

Schools, Universities

Teach Students the Truth

About Fake News

Warm-up Question

Why is it important to know the difference between fake news and real news?

Today’s Article

In the past, most people received their news from newspapers, magazines and

broadcasters. But now, just about anyone can report and publish on the

Internet and share it as news through social media.

The problem: not all of the information is true and not all of the reporting is

trustworthy.

After the presidential election last November, many people even questioned

whether “fake news” had influenced the election results.

This has led Facebook to work with organizations to find out whether a

disputed story is true or false and educators to train students to become critical

readers of news.

What really is "fake news”?

The term “fake news” is complicated, because it is not

always clear what that means. People have used the term

to identify everything from news stories reporting false facts,

to stories reporting facts they disagree with.

1


Howard Schneider, a former editor of the newspaper Newsday, started the

Center for News Literacy at Stony Book University in 2007. The center has

multiple projects, but the most visible is a course to teach News Literacy.

The course trains students to look for various details that may indicate the

validity of the story. Does the body of the story actually relate to the headline?

Are there a lot of overstated or extreme sentences? Are there facts in the

story and can they be proven? Is it written by a well-known journalist?

Richard Hornik is the Director of Overseas Partnership Programs for the

Center for News Literacy. He says the problem of fake news really has two

parts: stories with actual false information, and poor journalism in general.

“It’s not about spotting a bogus (or false) piece, it’s also about spotting a piece

that could have been better… to quote Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a former

senator from New York, ‘everyone is entitled to their own opinions but not

entitled to their own facts.’”

In some ways, Hornik says that Schneider anticipated the fake news crisis. He

says, “His [Schneider’s] insight was that there is no point in training quality

journalists if the public didn’t really know the difference between journalism

and something else…”

Key Vocabulary



C

trustworthy disputed literacy

validity journalism bogus

anticipate

2




Useful Expressions

1. in some ways (expr.)

“In some ways, the new agreement with China could be

dangerous.”

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“The movie was good, but in some ways it seemed too

controversial.”

Example 2

2. there is no point in (expr.)

“There is no point in registering for a gym if you don’t

have time to exercise.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“There is no point in spending money on new clothes if

you’re never going to wear them.”

Example 2

3




1. Where do people get their news from these days?

How is this different from the past?

2. Why is it dangerous to get your news from an unknown source?

3. What are some ways the article suggested to help avoid “fake news”?

4. Why is quality journalism important in the fight against this “fake news”?

5. Why do you think is it important to check the validity of a story before

talking about it?

Wrap Up F


4


A

B

Sometimes It Pays to

Disobey

Warm-up Question

Are there any laws that you would change if you could?

If so, please give an example.

Today’s Article

Most people would say they disapprove of breaking rules. But one highly

respected university in America is offering a big prize for exactly that. The

Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge will

award $250,000 to an individual or a group for breaking rules. One condition,

however: the disobedience must help society.

The MIT Media Lab is seeking nominations for candidates from all over the

world. The best candidates are doing or have done difficult and important work

that is not always recognized.

The award is open to people in all fields, including science, politics, law,

journalism, medicine and human rights. The Media Lab is looking for rule

breakers who have taken a personal risk to help society.

The award is the first of its kind at the school. Joi Ito directs

the Media Lab at MIT. He says, “You don’t change the world

by doing what you’re told.” But, he says he is not suggesting

people break laws or rules without reason. ”Sometimes we

have to go to first principles and consider whether

1


whether the laws or rules are fair, and whether we should question them,” he

says.

Ito suggests that history shows disobedience has served society. “The

American civil rights movement wouldn't have happened without civil

disobedience. India would not have achieved independence without the

pacifist but firm disobedience of Gandhi and his followers. The Boston Tea

Party, which we celebrate here in New England, was also quite disobedient.”

Media Lab says the award will not support acts of violence, terrorism or

dangerous behavior.

Reid Hoffman is an entrepreneur and co-founder of the social network,

LinkedIn. He is donating the $250,000 in prize money. The nominating period

will be open until May 1. Anybody may nominate an individual or group for the

award. Self-nomination is not permitted. Nominations will be accepted on the

MIT Media Lab Rewarding Disobedience webpage.

Media Lab will present the winner or winners with the prize at a ceremony July

21. A short list of candidates will be announced before the event in

Massachusetts.

Key Vocabulary



C

disobedience candidates principles

achieved pacifist New England

network

2




Useful Expressions

1. the first of its kind (expr.)

“The Supreme Court’s decision to oust the former

president was the first of its kind.”

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“The agreement between the two countries is the first of

its kind.”

Example 2

2. wouldn’t have happened without (expr.)

“This project wouldn’t have happened without the

support of the people in the city.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“WWII wouldn’t have happened without Hitler in power

in Germany.”

Example 2

3




1. How can breaking rules help society? How can it hurt society?

2. Who are some famous people that you know who have broken rules in

history? What rules did they break?

3. Joi Ito says, “You don’t change the world by doing what you’re told.”

Do you agree or disagree with him. Give reasons for your opinion.

4. Do you know of any out dated or irrelevant rules? How should they be

amended?

5. What do you think is the best way to advance society without bringing

chaos? Do you think this is possible? What stance should authorities

take?

Wrap Up F


4


A

B

TED: How to Green

the World’s Deserts and

Reverse Climate Change

Warm-up Question

Do you believe that climate change is occurring?

If so, what do you think are the prime factors causing it, and how can we best

control it?

Today’s Article

“This picture is a typical seasonal grassland. It has just come through four

months of rain, and it's now going into eight months of dry season. And watch

the change as it goes into this long dry season. Now, all of that grass you see

above ground has to decay biologically before the next growing season, and if it

doesn't, the grassland and the soil begin to die. Now, if it does not decay

biologically, it shifts to oxidation, which is a very slow process, and this

smothers and kills grasses, leading to a shift to woody vegetation and bare soil,

releasing carbon.

To prevent that, we have traditionally used fire. But fire also leaves the soil bare,

releasing carbon, and worse than that, burning one hectare of grassland gives

off more, and more damaging, pollutants than 6,000 cars. And we are burning

in Africa, every single year, more than one billion hectares of

grassland gives off more, and more damaging, pollutants

than 6,000 cars. And we are burning in Africa, every single

year, more than one billion hectares of grasslands, and

almost nobody is talking about it. We justify

1


the burning, as scientists, because it does remove the dead material and it

allows the plants to grow.

Now, looking at this grassland of ours that has gone dry, what could we do to

keep that healthy? And bear in mind, I'm talking of most of the world's land

now. Okay? We cannot reduce animal numbers to rest it more without causing

desertification and climate change. We cannot burn it without causing

desertification and climate change. What are we going to do? There is only

one option, I'll repeat to you, only one option left to climatologists and

scientists, and that is to do the unthinkable, and to use livestock, bunched and

moving, as a proxy for former herds and predators, and mimic nature. There

is no other alternative left to mankind.

So let's do that. So on this bit of grassland, we'll do it, but just in the

foreground. We'll impact it very heavily with cattle to mimic nature, and we've

done so, and look at that. All of that grass is now covering the soil as dung,

urine and litter or mulch, as every one of the gardeners amongst you would

understand, and that soil is ready to absorb and hold the rain, to store carbon,

and to break down methane. And we did that, without using fire to damage the

soil, and the plants are free to grow.”

Key Vocabulary



C

grazing grassland to decay

oxidation to smother bare

hectare pollutants livestock

proxy herd predator

2




Useful Expressions

1. bear in mind (id.)

“Bearing in mind that she’s a freshman and so has had

little experience; I thought she did very well on her first

report.”

D

Make your own:

Example 1

“Even though the advancement of gunnery was relatively

slow during the Middle Ages, it is well to bear in mind that

those people did not have science nor technology like we

do today.”

Example 2

2. do the unthinkable (id.)

“Luxury retailers have been so desperate lately that

they’ve done the unthinkable – they’ve lowered their

prices!”

Make your own:

Example 1

“He did the unthinkable – in the middle of his career, he

quit his job and sold his house and travelled the world with

his wife and young family.”

Example 2

3




1. In your own words, in one or two sentences, try to describe Mr. Savory’s

proposal for how to properly manage the grassland in his presentation.

2. What do you think of his proposal? Did you notice any statements that

seem overly dramatic?

3. When you conduct your own scientific experiments, what is the general

approach you use?

4. Since the publication of this talk, there has been some controversy over

the claims that Mr. Savory makes in his presentation and his

experiments; Yet, since his appearance on TED, Mr. Savory has

acquired quite a bit of ‘star status’ among farmers. Is this good scientific

progress?

5. What do you think should be done to counter climate change? List some

of the actions you or your community have taken.

Wrap Up F


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A

B

How Can ASEAN Nations

Unlock the Benefits of

the Fourth Industrial

Revolution?

Warm-up Question

What does ASEAN mean? What do you know about ASEAN?

Today’s Article

The effects of previous industrial revolutions have been well documented. If we

go back to the very first one, manufacturing moved from homes to the newly

created factories. With the shift, some skills were carried over but most had to

be adapted to new working conditions. The second and third revolutions saw a

similar shift. With every industrial revolution there has been a requirement for a

skill change. We are seeing the same trend with the industrial revolution

occurring today - Industry 4.0.

However, this is perhaps the first time that countries and companies have had

to worry about how their manpower will keep up with the pace of change.

Previous revolutions were seen as job and growth creators; with Industry 4.0

there is a concern that it may eradicate jobs and lead to unemployment.

Disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence are

transforming global production systems. Factory processes

and the management of global supply chains are all being

impacted. This is creating a new wave of

competition among countries because,

1


if adopted correctly Industry 4.0 can unlock a 30-40% increase in productivity.

However, a crucial factor to unlocking this potential is labor, which needs to be

upskilled to handle these technologies. We also cannot run away from the fact

that some jobs will be lost. The people doing these jobs need to be reskilled to

continue contributing.

As other nations lead the charge in embracing the Fourth Industrial Revolution,

ASEAN countries have so far failed to keep up. This is an issue as China,

already a manufacturing hub, has a clear plan in place.

Countries such as Vietnam and Thailand were slowly emerging as

manufacturing bases within their own right, partly due to rising costs in China.

But with China leapfrogging ASEAN with their “Made in China 2025” plan,

there is a risk that if labor issues and Industry 4.0 are not addressed quickly

by ASEAN, some of their manufacturing base will be relocated back to China.

In order to seize the opportunity that Industry 4.0 presents, workforces need

to be prepared and equipped with the right skills. In an ASEAN context, this

will represent unprecedented demands on workforces which need to be

addressed for the countries to remain competitive.

ASEAN countries have historically relied on low skilled labour as their source

of competitive advantage. For example, Indonesia, as one of the major

developing countries, still relies on basic manufacturing and its Manufacturing

Value Added rate is one fifth of the more advanced industrialized countries.

Thus, the global shift to automation is two pronged for ASEAN countries.

Firstly, it means that other countries will soon have low cost production

capabilities. Secondly, it means that a huge part of jobs in ASEAN will be

threatened by automation. This was recently demonstrated by the UN’s

International Labour Organisation declaration that Vietnam, Cambodia and

Indonesia face the highest number of workers at risk from automation.

2


1. in their own right (expr.)

“Picasso’s wife Françoise Gilot was a great painter in her

own right.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“The famous director’s son wanted to be respected as a

director in his own right so he changed his name before

embarking on his career.”

Example 2

Key Vocabulary



C

manufacturing shift eradicate

disruptive crucial upskilled

reskilled leapfrogging

within their own right labor issues relocated

unprecedented seize the opportunity low skilled labor

manufacturing hub

competitive advantage two pronged



Useful Expressions D

3


2. seize the opportunity (v.p)

“He decided to seize the opportunity and take the job

overseas.”

Make your own:

Example 1

“While you are here, seize any opportunity you have to

develop your skills.”

Example 2



1. What are some pros and cons of previous industrial revolutions?

2. What does the article mention about China’s plan for Industry 4.0?

3. According to the author, how should the ASEAN countries prepare for

Industry 4.0?

4. Do you think that South Korea is a good model for ASEAN countries?

Assume that they succeed in following South Korea’s example, what

would the repercussions be?

5. What other international organizations do you know of? Share your

knowledge about their purposes and members.

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Wrap Up F


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