[BUSINESS ★]
MIKE BLOOMBERG’S ADVICE FOR BUSINESS PEOPLE
(P1) Mike Bloomberg, CEO of Bloomberg LP and former New York mayor, has HAD HIS SHARE of success.
(P2) At age 73 he has become the 14th-richest man in the world, with a NET WORTH of $40.7 billion (£26.6 billion). He is a SELF-MADE billionaire.
(P3) When he was in London on Thursday at a Goldman Sachs event to help small businesses, his advice was pretty HARSH for anyone wanting to GET AHEAD.
(P4) Appearing on the stage with Goldman Sachs’ INVESTMENT BANKING co-chief Richard Gnodde, Bloomberg delivered six key pieces of advice for entrepreneurs — and they weren’t for the THIN-SKINNED.
(P5) Keep PERSPECTIVE
(P6) “I’ve never had a bad job. I’ve only ever had two bad days in my life — when my mother died and when my father died. Apart from that, how bad can it be?”
(P7) Work hard
(P8) “If there’s only one key to success, it’s hard work. When I worked at Salomon Brothers, I was always the first person in the office in the morning. If you like what you’re doing, it’s fun — if you don’t, it’s MISERABLE.”
(P9) Have realistic goals
(P10) “None of you are going to be Mark Zuckerbergs. It’s just not going to happen.”
(P11) Love what you do
(P12) “It must be miserable to wake up every day and hate what you do. Go and do something else. How could it be worse?”
(P14) “If you say, ‘Oh last week I cured cancer, two weeks before that I wrote the great American novel, and last month I brought peace to the Middle East,’ my eyes GLAZE OVER.”
(P15) “But if you say,’Look, my father never existed, my mum had cancer, I’m working five shifts at McDonald’s,’ that’s the person I’m going to hire.”
(P16) Be genuine
(P17) “There is a CHARACTERISTIC that all good leaders have and it’s that they’re genuine.”
WORDS: 304
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- Are you thin-skinned or THICK-SKINNED?
- What kinds of adversity have you experienced in your life?
- Do you love your job?
- Do you generally agree with Mr. Bloomberg’s advice?
EXPRESSIONS TO PRACTICE:
What do the following expressions mean? Practice using each expression in a sentence; extra points if you can use it in conversation.
- Have your share
- Net worth
- Self-made
- Get ahead
- Investment banking
- Thin-skinned
- Glaze over
- Thick-skinned
