Unit 4

Word

Definition

Example

a matter of urgency

used for saying that something must be dealt with immediately, before dealing with anything else

It's a matter of urgency

as a matter of fact

used to add emphasis to what you are saying, or to show that it is the opposite of or different from what went before

As a matter of fact, house prices fell by 2.5% last month

bold

brave, or without fear

I took the bold step of cutting all our prices by 30%

bring back

to cause (something or someone) to return to a condition, subject, etc.

Could we just bring the conversation back to the agenda?

cautious

not acting quickly in order to avoid risks; careful

You have to be cautious about which leads you follow up

challenging

difficult in an interesting or enjoyable way

It sounds good but the job's pretty challenging

come over

to come to a place, move from one place to another, or move towards someone

So, you've come over for this meeting?

consensus

a generally accepted opinion or decision among a group of people

We seem to have some sort of consensus

contingency planning

a plan that is made for dealing with an emergency, or with something that might possibly happen and cause problems in the future

Companies should start with some proper contingency planning

convinced

certain

I'm not fully convinced as yet

crisis

a time of great disagreement, confusion, or suffering

No company, however large or well-established, is immune to a crisis

draw something to a close

to gradually finish something

I'd like to draw things to a close

express care for

to do the necessary things for someone who needs help or protection

CEOs should always start by expressing care for those affected

foolhardy

brave in a silly way, taking unnecessary risks

Or is this course of action basically foolhardy?

get rid of

to remove or throw away something unwanted

I may be old, but you can't get rid of me that easily!

imprudent

unwise, by failing to consider the likely results of your actions

I have a duty to shareholders not to behave in an imprudent way

learn from somebody's mistakes

to understand what you did wrong and make sure that you do not do it again

Firms all too often fail to learn from each other's mistakes

look well

to appear or seem healthy or attractive

You're looking well

make matters worse

used to say that something has made a bad or difficult situation worse

That will make matters worse

matter

a situation or subject that is being dealt with or considered

This matters a great deal so we need to get it right

no laughing matter

very serious and not a situation that people should joke about

It's no laughing matter

no matter what

used to emphasize that something is always true, or that someone must do something

We'll do it, no matter what

not get somebody anywhere

to not make progress toward a goal

I'm not sure this is getting us anywhere

over-cautious

too cautious

I'm not over-cautious by nature

overlooking

providing a view of, especially from above

I'm in a luxury apartment overlooking Central Park

profile

information about a person's life, work, interests, etc. on a social networking website

I've seen your profile on the website

prudent

careful and avoiding risks

You have to ask yourself am I being prudent?

pull off

to succeed in doing something difficult or unexpected

Are you the Janos who pulled off that big Integra deal?

rash

careless or unwise, without thought for what might happen or result

To an outsider, my decisions may sometimes look rash

reckless

doing something dangerous and not worrying about the risks and the possible results

I have been accused of being reckless

reservation

a doubt or feeling of not being able to agree with or accept something completely

I still have serious reservations

resilient

able to be happy, successful, etc. again after something difficult or bad has happened

Popular brands can be surprisingly resilient to crises

restore somebody's reputation

to make it possible for someone to regain the opinion that people in general had about them, based on what had happened in the past

The manager believes VW can restore its reputation

risk-averse

unwilling to take risks or wanting to avoid risks as much as possible

A totally risk-averse company is never going to progress

robust communications plans

a policy-driven approach to providing stakeholders with information that is strong and unlikely to break or fail

Many companies don't have robust communications plans in place

run simulation exercises

to do a practice, training, monitoring or evaluation of capabilities involving the description or simulation of an emergency, to which a described or simulated response is made

Sometimes firms haven't actually run simulation exercises

second thoughts

a change in a decision or opinion

I'm having some second thoughts about the whole thing

sensible

based on or acting on good judgment and practical ideas or understanding

I'm wondering how sensible that was

show public remorse

to express a strong feeling of guilt and regret about something you have done, allowing anyone to see or hear that

Mr Clayton has some sympathy with companies expected to show public remorse

take ownership

to take responsibility for an idea or problem

It is vital that a chief executive takes ownership of a crisis

the new guy

someone who has just started doing an activity, a job, etc.

As far as they're concerned I'm still the new guy

well-established

having a recognized position, or being generally known about

It's a well-established team with their own way of doing things

with respect

used to express polite disagreement in a formal situation

With respect, I think you've got things wrong this time