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accidental entrepreneur
Meaning: Someone who becomes an entrepreneur unintentionally, often while working inside a company.
Example: After pitching a side project at work she found herself an accidental entrepreneur overnight.
sit on (an idea)
Meaning: To keep an idea without acting on it for some time.
Example: He decided not to sit on the idea and drafted a basic plan that weekend.
Note: Phrasal verb — common in business contexts.
shake it
Meaning: To stop being bothered by something or to get rid of an intrusive thought/feeling.
Example: She tried to shake it and focus on the task at hand.
Note: Informal, often used conversationally.
pull together (a proposal)
Meaning: To assemble or organize something quickly from available resources.
Example: They pulled together a short deck for the leadership meeting the same day.
Note: Phrasal verb frequently used in project contexts.
bring something to life
Meaning: To make an idea or plan real and operational.
Example: The prototype helped bring the concept to life for stakeholders.
skunkworks-like
Meaning: Describing a small, secretive team that works on advanced or experimental projects inside a larger organization.
Example: They formed a skunkworks-like group to test new product ideas quietly.
Note: Borrowed from engineering culture; implies autonomy and secrecy.
work in the shadows
Meaning: To operate quietly or without public attention, often to avoid bureaucracy.
Example: For months the team worked in the shadows to refine the prototype.
need-to-know basis
Meaning: Sharing information only with people who require it to perform their duties.
Example: Access to the documents was limited to a strict need-to-know basis.
carve out (time)
Meaning: To deliberately allocate or reserve time or resources for something.
Example: She carved out two hours each week to focus on the new project.
Note: Phrasal verb — common in time/resource planning.
stretched thin
Meaning: Having too many responsibilities or too little time to handle everything well.
Example: With three teams to support, she was stretched thin and needed help.
start from scratch
Meaning: To begin something from the very beginning, with no prior work used.
Example: When the vendor changed, the team had to start from scratch on the integration.
paint that picture
Meaning: To describe a situation clearly so others can understand it.
Example: In every meeting she painted the picture of how customers would benefit.
happy hour
Meaning: An informal social gathering, often after work, used here to build relationships.
Example: They organized a weekly happy hour to improve cross-team rapport.
flip side
Meaning: The opposite or contrasting aspect of a situation.
Example: The flip side of working quickly is that you may miss important details.
label someone as (a) blocker
Meaning: To categorize someone as obstructing progress or causing delays.
Example: It’s easy to label someone as a blocker when schedules get tight.
Note: "Blocker" is common in product and agile teams.
dumb question session
Meaning: A safe forum where people can ask basic or obvious questions without judgment.
Example: The team set up a monthly dumb question session to clear up confusion.
Note: Informal term used to encourage openness.
fill in the gaps
Meaning: To provide missing information or complete understanding.
Example: The onboarding document helped fill in the gaps for new hires.
shoot from the hip
Meaning: To act or speak impulsively without careful thought.
Example: Don’t shoot from the hip on pricing decisions; analyze the data first.
Note: Idiom — informal and figurative.
lean on (the experts)
Meaning: To rely on someone’s knowledge or experience for support.
Example: When planning the rollout, they leaned on the legal team for advice.
Note: Phrasal verb — common in collaborative work.
skunkworks
IPA: /ˈskʌŋk.wɜːks/ (UK), /ˈskʌŋk.wɝːks/ (US)
Meaning: A small, loosely structured group working on innovative projects, often in secret within a company.
Meaning: A small, loosely structured group working on innovative projects, often in secret within a company.
Example: He romanticized the idea of a skunkworks-like startup inside Intuit.
bureaucracy
IPA: /bjʊəˈrɒk.rə.si/ (UK), /bjʊˈrɑː.krə.si/ (US)
Meaning: Complex administrative systems and rules that can slow down decision-making.
Meaning: Complex administrative systems and rules that can slow down decision-making.
Example: He feared that more involvement would bring bureaucracy and slow the project down.
judgment-free zone
IPA: /ˈdʒʌdʒ.mənt friː zəʊn/ (UK), /ˈdʒʌdʒ.mənt friː zoʊn/ (US)
Meaning: A safe environment where people can ask questions or share ideas without fear of criticism.
Meaning: A safe environment where people can ask questions or share ideas without fear of criticism.
Example: Dumb question sessions created a judgment-free zone for employees to clarify confusing topics.
Other Listening Exercises
Ask Dumb Questions, Embrace Mistakes
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