The First One-to-One

Kayla and Tom are having a coffee in the Chicago office breakout area to discuss Kayla's promotion to sales manager.

The First One-to-One

Listen and choose the right answer

What is the main topic of Kayla and Tom's conversation?

• Kayla's promotion and her new responsibilities as a manager
• A new software platform being installed in the Chicago office
• Plans for the upcoming company trip to Denver

How does Tom feel about managing former peers?

• He thinks it is impossible and causes immediate team failure
• He acknowledges it feels a bit weird to have authority over friends
• He believes nobody should ever be promoted from within the team

What surprise does Tom reveal near the end of the conversation?

• He is planning to resign from the company next month
• He also applied for the sales manager job and is glad he lost
• He has secretly accepted a new job in London

How does Kayla describe her first weeks in the new role?

• As a very easy transition with zero stressful moments
• As a steep learning curve where she worries about her style
• As a boring period with too little work to do

Listen again and complete the sentences

• Kayla: I know, but ____ changes things a bit, doesn't it?
• Kayla: True, but now I'm responsible for ____ and making sure our quarterly targets are met.
• Tom: That's fair enough, boss. So, how are you finding your new ____ so far?
• Kayla: Honestly? It's a really steep curve, and I've been trying hard to ____ without sounding too bossy.
• Tom: You've always known how to ____ , so the team already respects you.

Sources: photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels