The Glass Cliff - Why Are Women More Likely to Lead During Crises? - B2 Listening Exercise

 

Vocabulary 2
A. Cliff (noun) [French: falaise]: A very steep side of a mountain or rock. Example: We stood near the cliff and looked at the sea.

B. Tendency (noun) [French: tendance]: A usual way of behaving or developing. Example: He has a tendency to worry about small problems.

C. Raises (verb) [French: soulève / pose]: Brings a question or problem to people's attention. Example: This report raises several important questions about the project.

D. Discriminate (verb) [French: faire preuve de discrimination envers]: Treat someone unfairly because of who they are. Example: Companies must not discriminate against people because of their age.

E. Struggling (adjective) [French: en difficulté]: Having serious problems or difficulties. Example: The struggling restaurant may close next year.

F. Appoint (verb) [French: nommer]: Choose someone for an official position or job. Example: The school appointed a new head teacher.

G. CEO (noun) [French: PDG / directeur général]: The person who leads and manages a company. Example: The CEO will meet the employees tomorrow.

H. Falling revenue (noun phrase) [French: baisse du chiffre d’affaires]: A situation where a company earns less money. Example: Falling revenue forced the company to reduce its costs.

I. Scandal (noun) [French: scandale]: An event that causes public shock or criticism. Example: The politician resigned after a major scandal.

J. Genuinely (adverb) [French: véritablement / sincèrement]: In a real, sincere, or honest way. Example: She was genuinely surprised by the birthday party.

K. Take over (phrasal verb) [French: prendre le contrôle de / reprendre]: Start controlling or managing something from someone else. Example: James will take over the family business next year.

L. Prove (verb) [French: prouver]: Show that something is true or correct. Example: You need to prove that you completed the work yourself.

M. Effectiveness (noun) [French: efficacité]: The ability to produce the desired result. Example: We need to test the effectiveness of this new method.

Guide Questions
1. What is the “Glass Cliff”?
2. Talk about the speaker’s example. 

TRANSCRIPT 1

The glass cliff is the tendency for women to reach senior leadership positions when an organization is already facing serious problems. This raises more complex question than simply asking whether companies discriminate against female executives. For example, imagine a struggling company that appoints its first female CEO after a long period of falling revenue, a public scandal, or a failed business deal. Her appointment may genuinely show confidence in her ability to manage a crisis. However, she may also take over an organization whose problems have developed over many years, leaving her with little time or money to prove her effectiveness. (101 words)

Vocabulary 2
A. No room for mistakes (expression) [French: aucune marge d’erreur]: A situation where mistakes cannot be accepted. Example: There is no room for mistakes during the final exam.

B. Nevertheless (adverb) [French: néanmoins / toutefois]: Used to show contrast with what was just said. Example: The weather was terrible; nevertheless, we went for a walk.

C. Intentional discrimination (noun phrase) [French: discrimination intentionnelle / délibérée]: Unfair treatment that is done deliberately. Example: The company was accused of intentional discrimination against older employees.

D. Company boards (noun phrase) [French: conseils d’administration]: Groups that make important decisions for companies. Example: Company boards often meet several times a year.

E. Deeper question (noun phrase) [French: question plus profonde]: A more important question behind a situation. Example: The deeper question is whether people are truly happy with their lives.

F. Lasting opportunities (noun phrase) [French: possibilités durables / opportunités à long terme]: Opportunities that continue for a long time. Example: Good education can create lasting opportunities for young people.

G. Hold power (expression) [French: détenir le pouvoir / exercer le pouvoir]: Have control or influence over important decisions. Example: A small group continues to hold power in the organization.

Guide Questions
1. What is the difference when men and women are promoted?
2. What does the speaker say about company boards?
3. What is the deeper question?

TRANSCRIPT 2

Men may be promoted when a company is ready to grow, while women are sometimes promoted when there is almost no room for mistakes. Nevertheless, it would be too simple to see every such appointment as intentional discrimination. Company boards may respond to crises by choosing leaders who are seen as more cooperative or able to bring major change, which are qualities that are often associated with women. The deeper question is whether organizations give women lasting opportunities to hold power or only give them these opportunities when failure is already difficult to avoid. (94 words)

Discussion

1. If you became CEO of a company with serious financial problems, what would you want to know before accepting the job, and why? (Si vous deveniez PDG d’une entreprise ayant de graves problèmes financiers, que voudriez-vous savoir avant d’accepter le poste, et pourquoi ?)

2. How would you find out if the board really believed in your leadership skills or simply wanted someone to take responsibility for a difficult situation? (Comment sauriez-vous si le conseil d’administration croyait vraiment en vos compétences de direction ou s’il voulait simplement trouver quelqu’un pour prendre la responsabilité d’une situation difficile ?)

3. What warning signs might show that a senior leadership job is actually a “glass cliff,” and how would you check this before accepting the job? (Quels signes pourraient montrer qu’un poste de direction est en réalité un « glass cliff », et comment vérifieriez-vous cela avant d’accepter le poste ?)

4. If you discovered that the previous CEO had made several decisions that caused the current problems, how would you explain this without blaming other people? (Si vous découvriez que le PDG précédent avait pris plusieurs décisions qui avaient causé les problèmes actuels, comment l’expliqueriez-vous sans rejeter la faute sur les autres ?)

5. If shareholders wanted quick results but you thought that recovery would take several years, how would you manage these different expectations? (Si les actionnaires voulaient des résultats rapides mais que vous pensiez que le redressement prendrait plusieurs années, comment géreriez-vous ces attentes différentes ?)

6. How could you protect your professional reputation if you thought the company was putting you in a situation where you could fail? (Comment pourriez-vous protéger votre réputation professionnelle si vous pensiez que l’entreprise vous mettait dans une situation où vous pourriez échouer ?)

7. If a male manager was praised for making a quick decision but you were criticized for being aggressive after making the same decision, how would you deal with the situation? (Si un homme était félicité pour avoir pris une décision rapidement mais que vous étiez critiqué(e) pour être agressif/agressive après avoir pris la même décision, comment géreriez-vous la situation ?)

8. How would you decide whether criticism of your leadership was fair or influenced by ideas about how women should behave? (Comment détermineriez-vous si les critiques de votre façon de diriger étaient justes ou influencées par des idées sur la façon dont les femmes devraient se comporter ?)

9. What could you do to make sure that people judged your success fairly, rather than by problems that existed before you became CEO? (Que pourriez-vous faire pour vous assurer que votre réussite soit évaluée de manière juste, plutôt qu’en fonction de problèmes qui existaient avant que vous deveniez PDG ?)

10. If your predecessor received a lot of praise despite poor results, while your mistakes received much more attention, how would you deal with this double standard? (Si votre prédécesseur recevait beaucoup d’éloges malgré de mauvais résultats, alors que vos erreurs attiraient beaucoup plus d’attention, comment géreriez-vous ce double standard ?)

11. How would you decide which problems to solve immediately and which ones to deal with later during your first 100 days in the job? (Comment décideriez-vous quels problèmes résoudre immédiatement et lesquels traiter plus tard pendant vos 100 premiers jours dans le poste ?)

12. How can companies give women real opportunities to become senior leaders without often putting them in jobs where the risk of failure is already high? (Comment les entreprises peuvent-elles donner aux femmes de vraies possibilités d’accéder à des postes de direction sans les placer souvent dans des postes où le risque d’échec est déjà élevé ?)

13. If you could change one part of the way companies hire or promote people to reduce the risk of the glass cliff, what would you change, and how would you convince senior managers to support the change? (Si vous pouviez changer un aspect de la manière dont les entreprises recrutent ou promeuvent les employés afin de réduire le risque du « glass cliff », que changeriez-vous et comment convaincriez-vous les cadres dirigeants de soutenir ce changement ?)

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