《新大學(xué)英語·綜合教程22》課件-B2U2 Teamwork and Student Leadership

ReadingAIn1934,ayoungwomannamedSaraPollardappliedtoVassarCollege.Inthosedays,parentswereaskedtofilloutaquestionnaire,andSara’sfatherdescribedher,truthfully,as“moreafollowertypethanaleader.”NotLeadershipMaterial?Good.TheWorldNeedsFollowers.1ReadingATheschoolacceptedSara,explainingthatithadenoughleaders.It’shardtoimaginethishappeningtoday.Nofatherinhisrightmind(iftheadmissionsofficehappenedtoaskhim!)wouldadmitthathischildwasanaturalfollower;fewcollegeswouldwelcomeonewithopenarms.Todayweprizeleadershipskillsaboveall,andnowheremorethanincollegeadmissions.AsPennyBachEvins,theheadofSt.Paul’sSchoolforGirls,anindependentschoolinMaryland,toldme,“Itseemsasifhigheredislookingforalphas,butthedoersandthinkersinourschoolsarenotalwaysinfrontleading.”23ReadingAHarvard’sapplicationinformsstudentsthatitsmissionis“toeducateourstudentstobecitizensandcitizen-leadersforsociety.”Yale’swebsiteadvisesapplicantsthatitseeks“theleadersoftheirgeneration”;onPrinceton’ssite,“l(fā)eadershipactivities”arefirstamongequalsonalistofcharacteristicsforwould-bestudentstoshowcase.EvenWesleyan,knownforitsartisticculture,wasfoundbyonestudytoevaluateapplicantsbasedonleadershippotential.4ReadingAIfcollegeadmissionsofficesshowuswhomandwhatwevalue,thenweseemtothinkthattheidealsocietyiscomposedofTypeA’s.Thisisperhapsunsurprising,iftheseexamplescomefromhighlycompetitiveinstitutions.It’spartoftheAmericanDNAtocelebratethosewhoriseabovethecrowd.Andinrecentdecades,themeteoricpathtoleadershipofyouthfulgarage-anddorm-dwellers,fromSteveJobstoMarkZuckerberg,hasmadekingofthehillstatusseempossibleforevery19-year-old.Sostudentsarevyingtobepresidentofasmanyclubsaspossible.It’snolongerenoughtobeamemberofthestudentcouncil;nowyouhavetoruntheschool.5ReadingAYetawell-functioningstudentbody—nottomentionanyotherorganization—alsoneedsfollowers.Itneedsteamplayers.Anditneedsthosewhogotheirownway.Itneedsleaderswhoarecalledtoserviceratherthantostatus.Admissionsofficerswilltellyouthattheirquestfortomorrow’sleadersisbasedonadesireforpositiveimpact,tomaketheworldabetterplace.Ithinktheymeanwhattheysay.678ReadingAButmanystudentsI’vespokenwithread“l(fā)eadershipskills”asacodeforauthorityanddominanceanddefineleadersasthosewho“canorderotherpeoplearound.”AndaccordingtooneprominentIvyLeagueprofessor,thosestudentsaren’twrong;leadership,asdefinedbytheadmissionsprocess,toooften“seemstoberestrictedtopoliticalorbusinesspower.”Shesaysadmissionsofficersfailtodefineleadershipas“makingadvancesinsolvingmathematicalproblems”or“beingthebestpoetofthecentury.”910ReadingAWhateverthecolleges’intentions,thepressuretoleadnowdefinesandconstrictsourchildren’sadolescence.Oneyoungwomantoldmeaboutherchildhoodasahappyandenthusiasticreader,studentandcellist—untilfreshmanyearofhighschool,when“collegeapplicationsloomedonthehorizon,andsuddenly,myeveryactivitywasheldupagainsttheholygrailof‘leadership’,”sherecalled.“Andeveryoneknew,”sheadded,“thatitwasnotthesmartpeople,notthecreativepeople,notthethoughtfulpeopleordecenthumanbeingsthatscoredtheapplicationlettersandthescholarships,buttheleaders.Itseemedthatnoactivityoraccomplishmentmeantanythingunlessitwassomehowconnectedtoleadership.”11ReadingAThisyoungwomantriedtooverhaulherpersonalitysoshewouldbeselectedforaprestigiousleadershiproleasa“freshmanmentor”.Shemadethecut,butwaslaterkickedoutoftheprogrambecauseshewasn’toutgoingenough.Atthetime,shewasdevastated.Butitturnedoutthatshe’dbeensetfreetodiscoverhertruecalling,science.Shestartedworkingafterschoolwithhergeneticsteacher,anotherbehind-the-scenessoul.Shepublishedherfirstscientificpaperwhenshewas18,andwonthehighestscholarshipheruniversityhastooffer,majoringinbiomedicalengineeringandcello.12ReadingAPerhapsthebiggestdisservicedonebytheglorificationof“l(fā)eadershipskills”istothepracticeofleadershipitself—itemptiesitofmeaning.Itattractsthosewhoaremotivatedbythespotlightratherthanbytheideasandpeopletheyserve.Itteachesstudentstobealeaderforthesakeofbeingincharge,ratherthaninthenameofacauseorideatheycareaboutdeeply.Wetendtoforgetthatwerelyasasociety,muchmoredeeplythanwerealize,onthesoloistswhoforgetheirownpaths.Weseethosefiguresinallkindsofpursuits:inthesciences;insportsliketennis,trackandfigureskating;andinthearts.Artandscienceareaboutmanythingsthatmakelifeworthliving,buttheyarenot,attheircore,aboutleadership.ReadingBIt’sgreattobebackatHarvardBusinessSchool.ItseemslikeagesagothatIwassittingwhereyouare.Actuallyitwasagesago.First,letmesay:Allofyouareabouttoembarkuponthemostexcitingtwoyearsofyourlives,HBSwascertainlyamongthetwomostrewardingandexcitingyearsofmylife.AndI’vehadaprettyinterestinglife!LeadershipandValues12Sinceleavingthiscampus,IhaveseldomfoundasexcitinganenvironmentastheoneIexperiencedatHBS.Thereissuchelectricityintheairhere,suchanawarenessofeachindividual’spotentialandsuchoptimismaboutfutureexpectations.Inanutshell,mylifeandcareerhaveturnedouttobesomuchmoreinterestingandexcitingthanIevercouldhaveimagined.Ihavehadtheuniqueprivilegeofhavingledcomplexorganizationsintheprivate,non-privateandpublicsectors.WhatIhavecometoappreciateisthatleadersarenotnecessarilythosewhoseemthesmartest,themostintellectual,orthemostconfident.3ReadingB4I’vefoundthattrueleadershipdrawsitssourcefromcorevaluessuchascharacter,integrity,personalcourageandacommitmenttoideals.SomeofthebestleadersIhaveseenarehumbleindividualswhopossessgreatempathyforothers.Theyhavetheabilitytomotivateandinspireandcanutilizetheseskillstoforgeaconsensustowardacommonvision.Inthenexttwoyears,thebasisofeverythingyouwilllearnistheAmericanfreeenterprisesystem.Thatsystem,whichhasgivensomuchtosomany,isincrisistoday.Itisunderattackbecauseoftheactionsofanunscrupulousfew,someofwhomgraduatedfromournation’stopbusinessschools.5ReadingB6Eventhebesteducationwiththefinestteacherswillnotproducethekindofleadersweneedunlesstheirleadershipisgroundedbystrongmoralprinciplesandvalues.That’swhytheLeadershipandValuesInitiativeyouarekickingofftodayissoimportantandsoverytimely.Youhaveallseentheheadlines.MajorU.S.companieshavecollapsedbecauseofcorporatedishonesty.Billionsofdollarsinmarketcapitalizationhavedisappeared.Millionsofinvestorshaveseentheirinvestmentsdropsignificantly.Thousandsofworkershavelosttheirjobs.AndmillionsofAmericanshavelosttheirretirementsecurity.7ReadingB8Thistragedywascompoundedbyavarice.Wehavelearnedthatthesameexecutiveswhobankruptedcompaniesandcheatedshareholdersenrichedthemselveswithcorporateassetsbeforebailingout.Othertransactions—likehugeinsiderloans;specialpurposeentities;offbalance-sheetfinancingpushedtothelimitandbeyond—werecleverlyconcealedwiththehelpofcreativeaccountingdevices.9ReadingBEnronwasjustthebeginning—thencameGlobalCrossing,Tyco,AdelphiaandWorldCom.Thereweresomanyrestatementsofearningsthatyoustillneedascorecardtokeepupwiththem.Nowonderthemarketisreeling!Butit’snotreelingbecauseofanyso-calledeconomiccrisis.Afterall,interestratesarethelowestindecades.Homeandautomotivesalesremainstrong.Productivitycontinuestorise.Inflationislowandwehavehadthreestraightquartersofpositivegrowth.ReadingB10What’sreallydrivingthecurrentfinancialjittersisacrisisinconfidence.Ourcountryhaslostconfidenceinthebusinessleaderswhoonceepitomizedsuccessintheboomdecadeofthe1990s.PresidentGeorgeW.Bush,aHarvardMBAhimself,hassaid:“Thereisnowealthwithoutcharacter.Weneedmenandwomenofcharacterwhoknowthedifferencesbetweenambitionanddestructivegreed.”AsthePresidentalsosaidsoemphaticallyashesignedcorporategovernancereformsintolaw,“freemarketsareNOTajungleinwhichonlytheunscrupuloussurvive.”ReadingB11ThePresident’splanstrikesattheveryheartofgreed,deceptionandfraud.Itmandatesclarityandtransparencyinkeybusinesspractices.Itensuresbetterandclearerinformationforinvestors.Itestablishesastrongerandmoreindependentauditsystem.AnditinsiststhatCEOspersonallycertifytheirannualearningsstatementsandreports.Therearejustafewofthereformsthatwilladduptoastrongerandhealthiersystemofaccountability.ReadingB12White-collarcrimecanleadtojailtimeandpublicdisgrace.Sowhatiftheyhavemillionsofdollars?Manyarestillyoungandvigorous.Whatwilltheydowiththeres