Interviews

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1. Understanding the Context: Before listening to the interview, let’s discuss the context. The interview appears to focus on the qualities of a good leader, particularly in the context of a boss in a company. What are your initial thoughts on what makes a good leader in this setting?

2. Clear Expectations: Another quality discussed is a leader’s ability to set clear expectations for their employees. Why is this important, and how does it contribute to a positive work environment? Have you experienced situations where unclear expectations caused issues at work?

Here are some words and expressions that appear in the video:

qualities (noun) – Distinctive attributes or characteristics that define or distinguish someone or something.

– Her leadership qualities, such as vision and resilience, were admired by the entire team.

clear (adjective) – Easy to perceive, understand, or interpret; not vague or ambiguous.

– The clear instructions provided by the manager improved productivity in the department.

empathy (noun) – The ability to understand and share the feelings of another person, often accompanied by a desire to help or support.

– Demonstrating empathy towards colleagues during challenging times fosters a supportive work environment.

challenging (adjective) – Difficult, demanding, or requiring effort and determination.

– Taking on challenging projects can lead to personal and professional growth.

discussion (noun) – The action or process of talking about a topic or engaging in a conversation or debate.

– Engaging in open discussions with team members helps to identify innovative solutions to complex problems.

Now, watch the interview and answer the comprehension questions. You can also turn on the automatically-generated captions for the video once you start it.

Randall: Hello, everyone. In this video, Aubrey and I would like to talk about the qualities of a good leader. Aubrey, I want you to think specifically about bosses. Uh, I mean, there are different types of leaders, you know, educational leader, government leader, just someone that works in a company like a boss. And what would be some of the qualities that you hope a boss would have?

Aubrey: I think an important one would be someone that’s going to back you up [Okay], right? Like if you work in food services and someone’s screaming at you, and you make a call, I don’t want the boss to be like, “Oh, I don’t understand what my server’s doing. They’re new. Here’s all the free stuff you asked for.” Like, if I have a really good reason to not give them free stuff, I want them to back up my play.

Randall: Versus giving the person a free drink or free pizza just to appease them.

Aubrey: Exactly.

Randall: Okay. Otherwise, the customer will walk away, perhaps thinking that you were the problem. [Um-hum] All right. So backing you up. What else?

Aubrey: I like someone who is clear about what the expectations are. So they’re not just coming at you saying, “You’re terrible.” It’s like, “Okay, can you define what you mean by that?” “No, you’re just doing a bad job.” That’s not useful. I don’t know what’s going on.

Randall: And I think when you said expectations, I think providing clear training right from the beginning, and you don’t do, you know, an information dump, in other words, “Oh, you’re starting the job. Here is the 342-page manual. Make sure that you understand all the policies. And if you slip up, we’re going to ding you. You’re going to be, you know, receive some type of demerit for the work that you’ve done.”

Aubrey: On the other hand, you also don’t want a situation where you’re trained on how to make pizzas the way I was, which was, “Aubrey, Go make that pizza.”

Randall: Okay.

Aubrey: That was the entirety of my training.

Randall: And that’s really hard because once again, talking about expectations, understanding the boundaries of your work. Let’s say that you’re making a pizza, and when you are working at, you know, the pizza place you were at, did they have to explain to you or should they have explained to you that on this particular pizza, you need, you know, 16 pepperoni slices versus 12 or 62?

Aubrey: So the nice thing about the place I worked was there were charts [Oh] detailing exactly what went on each pizza, but there were some things that weren’t on there. Like the first time I made a pepperoni pizza, I made it like all the other pizzas where at the time, the standard was sauce, cheese toppings, then more cheese. [Okay] So you made a pepperoni pizza that way, and that’s not how you make a pepperoni pizza anywhere.

Randall: Well, good. The other thought is, when I think about a good boss, someone that is a good leader actually will validate the struggles that you have. Let’s just say, for example, that you’re sick. You can’t come into work rather than just saying to you, “Hey, when are you going to be back into work?” They validate, you know, just saying simply, “Hey, I hope that you’re doing okay. This must be really difficult. I can’t imagine what you’re going through.” And then later on maybe discussing and picking up the conversation of what needs to be done to me is a good leader. Going back to what you said at the beginning that has your back.

Aubrey: I had a situation where I had been in the hospital, and I called my boss to let them know I wasn’t coming in, and the response I got was, “Have you called your clients yet?” And I’m like, “No, I’m in the hospital. I’m not doing that.”

Randall: A very good way to approach things. Well, thank you, Aubrey, for sharing some of your thoughts on the qualities of a good leader.

1. What are two qualities of a good boss mentioned in the interview, and why are they important for employees?

2. Can you recall a personal experience where a leader or boss demonstrated empathy and support during a difficult time? How did that make you feel, and how did it impact your work?

3. The interview emphasized the importance of clear expectations. How can a leader effectively communicate expectations to their team members? What might be the consequences of unclear expectations in a work environment?

4. Aubrey mentioned the challenge of having a boss who merely says, “You’re terrible” without providing specific feedback. How can leaders give constructive feedback that helps employees grow and improve without demotivating them?