#80- 18 Words for Leadership, Influence and Legacy

Welcome to The Real Life English with Gabby Podcast. In this episode, you’ll learn 18 powerful phrasal verbs, idioms, and slang expressions used to talk about leadership and influence in real American English.

From everyday conversations to professional settings, Americans often talk about who’s in control, who’s making decisions, and who has influence; and if you don’t understand this language, it can be hard to fully follow or participate in those conversations.

We’ll break down natural, real-life expressions like: 

• Rally behind someone
• Weigh in on something
• Pull the strings
• To call the shots

You’ll also hear a story using all of the vocabulary in context, so you can learn how these expressions are actually used by native speakers.

 If you want to sound more natural, confident, and fluent, especially in professional or social situations, this is the kind of vocabulary you need. These are the expressions native speakers use every day.

 Don’t forget to download the FREE Study Guide in the episode description. It includes:

• Full transcript
• Definitions and examples
• Practice activities

This will help you remember and actually use the vocabulary—not just recognize it.

CLICK HERE to get the guide!

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Transcript

[00:00:00]
 On this episode of the Real Life English with Gabby podcast, you'll be learning 18 phrasal verbs, slang words, and idioms about leadership and influence. You'll be learning vocabulary like weigh in on, call the shots, pull the strings, push the envelope, and more. Let's get to it.

Hey there. Welcome to the Real Life English with Gabby podcast. I'm your host, Gabby, your fun and friendly English teacher from the one and only New York City. My goal is to teach you phrasal verbs, idioms, and slang that will help you speak English confidently and understand real American conversations.

Are you ready to improve your English skills? Let's jump right in.

Hey, hey, hey. Greetings from New York City. It is [00:01:00] officially spring here in the USA, and the crazy weather in the city is still up and down like a roller coaster. If you've ever been to New York City, you probably remember that sometimes it can feel like we see all four seasons in one day. In the morning, it starts off as winter and then gets to spring, and then by three, four o'clock, it's summer and then fall and then winter again. We never quite know what to expect here.

I truly hope that wherever you are in the world, I hope you're doing okay. I know that the world is going crazy and parts of the world are burning. Personally, I feel like the USA is on fire and we're just going down the tubes, and it's crazy here.

I truly hope that this podcast is able to bring you just a little bit of [00:02:00] joy.

Welcome to episode 80. In this episode, we are diving into a topic that is about how people communicate power, confidence, and influence in American culture. We're talking specifically about leadership and influence. In the United States, the way you speak often shapes how people see you, and I know that this is true in most cultures, whether you're at work or in a meeting or networking or even just talking with friends.

People here are looking for confidence. We are constantly expressing ideas about who's in charge, who has influence, who's making things happen in their lives, at their jobs. These conversations are honestly everywhere, from the workplace to social media, [00:03:00] even to everyday life.

One of the biggest parts of American culture is what we call assertiveness, assertiveness, assertiveness. This is a noun. It's the ability to express your thoughts, your opinions, and your needs clearly and confidently, but while still respecting other people. It's a sort of confidence and belief in yourself and representing your strongest qualities to the world.

In many situations here, people are expected to speak up, share their opinions, and show confidence in their ideas. If someone here is too quiet, if they never express their thoughts, people might think that they're not confident.

They're not ready for responsibility. Honestly, it's a very negative thing in American culture.

Because of this, people who take initiative and show [00:04:00] leadership are often respected, while people who avoid responsibility or influence are often overlooked and ignored.

That's why this topic is so important. If you don't understand how people talk about leadership and influence in English, it can be hard to fully follow conversations and to express your ideas clearly or even just to show confidence in what you say. Also, when you do understand this type of language, you sound more natural, more engaged, more confident, especially in professional settings.

Learning how to speak about influence and leadership will help you fit in more in English-speaking environments. The vocabulary you are learning in this episode, it's not just for business English, though. It's the kind of language that native speakers use all the time to describe things like decision [00:05:00] making, responsibility, teamwork, and success.

So whether you're leading a team or sharing your opinion or simply trying to better understand conversations around you, this is a language you'll use every day. Also, before we talk about the vocabulary that you're gonna learn in this episode, I have some exciting updates. You probably have noticed that things have been a bit quiet on my end, specifically in your inbox, with lack of emails or even on social media.

In addition to just living life and adjusting to life with three kids, one of whom is a baby, I've been making lots of plans to help all of you get more involved, learn English more effectively, meet your goals.

So, starting this week, which is the first week of April, there are gonna be some new announcements and a few changes for the year ahead with English [00:06:00] with Gabby, and I'm really excited.

I've been working behind the scenes to make things better for you, make things more helpful, more practical, and more focused on helping you actually use English in real life.

For example, we're gonna have monthly challenges, a lot of opportunities for you to get involved and meet other English learners from all around the world.

So keep an eye out for all of these updates that arrived the first week of April. You really don't wanna miss it.

Also, before we get deeper into the episode, I just wanna remind you that there is a free study guide waiting for you. It has everything you need to have a deeper understanding of today's vocabulary, and it will 100% help you get closer and closer to fluency. It includes the transcript, sentences, examples, practice [00:07:00] activities, and anything else you might need to remember what you learn in this episode. In order to get the study guide, just click the link in the episode description.

All right, so now let's take a look at the vocabulary that you are going to learn in this episode.

We have to run the show or run things, take over, call the shots, to be a shot caller, step up, take the lead, a game plan, a heavy hitter, to push the envelope, weigh in on, win over, move the needle, to be in the driver's seat, to pull the strings, a seat at the table, have the final say, to be a mover and a shaker, to hand something off, and to lay out.

All right, now I'm going to read you a story that has all of the vocabulary in real-world context. Listen as I read and see if you can figure out the meanings of the vocabulary just through the context. Then, after the story, we'll talk about the definitions and I'll give you some new examples.

Here we go.

Maya had always been kind of quiet at work. She was smart and hardworking, but never had the desire to move up or become a manager. Instead, she stayed in the background and preferred that others run the show. That all changed the day that her boss suddenly quit. The office [00:09:00] was in chaos. No one knew who would take over, and everyone kept asking the same questions.

Who's going to call the shots now? Their big boss from the corporate office called Maya and said, "Maya, you are the most senior person on the team, and I need you to step up. Are you okay taking the lead on the last few projects until we figure out who's going to replace Amanda?"

"Yes, sir," said Maya. "I'll create a game plan immediately."

Maya was a little bit concerned that others on her team would oppose her being acting manager, so she was surprised that instead of complaining, people rallied behind her.

Even the company's biggest heavy hitter, Jordan, was open to [00:10:00] Maya's plans. Maya confidently laid out her ideas to the team. She explained how they could finish their biggest projects on time. She also wanted to push the envelope with a few bold changes. At first, some people were unsure, so Maya invited everyone to weigh in on the plan.

Slowly but surely, she began to win over the team with her ideas. Even Jordan nodded and said, "You know what? This might actually move the needle on our huge workload." Within a few days, Maya was completely comfortable in the driver's seat. People started coming to her for decisions. She was no longer invisible.

She was becoming the shot caller. But not everyone was happy about it. Behind the scenes, a manager from another department wanted to take control and tried to [00:11:00] pull the strings of the other employees. He didn't like that Maya was getting all of the power and all of the attention, but Maya pushed back because she had rightfully earned a seat at the table, and she wasn't going to give it up. During an update meeting with executives, they asked Maya for updates. Maya presented her ideas, and when she was done, the CEO said, "I like your direction, Maya. From now on, you'll permanently run things on these projects, and you'll have the final say. You've become a mover and a shaker in this company.

Thank you so much for stepping up when we needed you most."

"Sounds good," replied Maya. "I'm ready for this."

The following week, Maya attended some management training and was brought on as a manager. Immediately, her old tasks were handed off as she [00:12:00] gained new responsibilities. Becoming a manager wasn't something that she necessarily wanted, but now that she was given the opportunity to be a leader and influence others, she was so happy that this is where fate led her. The end.

Now let's talk about the definitions of all of the vocabulary and take a look at some new example sentences.

First up, we have to run the show or run things. To run the show means to be in control and make the main decisions. Run the show comes from Broadway plays and performances, and we typically use this for all kinds of leadership.

So you can say she's running the show if you are in a Broadway show, but you can also say it at work. You can [00:13:00] say it on a sports team. You can pretty much use this for almost any social or professional situation. You could say she's running the meeting, running the class. Running the show, though, is for everything. For example, she runs the show in that department, so everyone checks with her before making changes.

Next up, we have the phrasal verb take over. I'm sure you've heard this many, many times in the context of battles, fighting, or war, like one country took over another country. The phrasal verb take over means to assume control, to take control, to take responsibility.

For example, after the manager quit, Carlos had to take over the entire team, and that's the context that we see it used in the story. No one knew who was going to take over, [00:14:00] and so it was a very scary situation. They were like, "Who's gonna call the shots?" So let's take a look at call the shots.

Call the shots is actually a business idiom, a leadership idiom, and a sports idiom, and it means to make the important decisions. So first off, let's go back to where this came from. So when you have sports like soccer, football, for most of you, American football, basketball, or any sport that has a ball, right, or even like a puck, like hockey, anytime you try to put the ball into a goal or a net or anything that's gonna score points, we call it a shot. So we say take the shot, meaning I'm going to try to put the basketball in the hoop. I'm gonna try and kick the soccer ball into the goal. We often use the verb shoot.

Okay, so I'm gonna shoot the ball. [00:15:00] All right, this means to kick, to throw, to hit. This is a shot. So we say, "Nice shot." This is a very common word in American English that we use for lots of different things. So in this context, we say call the shots. This means to make all of the important decisions. And we also have what we call the shot caller.

So you know, in English, we like to take things and make them nouns and verbs, and this is an example of that. So to call the shots is an idiom, but we use it as a verb. So, for example, in this company, the CEO calls the shots on all major deals. Here it's used as a verb, but when we turn it into a noun or a person, we say a shot caller.

This is the person who makes the decisions. For example, everyone knows she's the real [00:16:00] shot caller behind the scenes. And when you have a sports team, any kind of athletic organization, the person who is the team captain, so not necessarily the coach, but the team captain, like he's the shot caller. He's gonna call the shot that he wants the team to take. So this is how we use this in leadership, in sports leadership, at your job, leadership just in any kind of social context.

Next up, we have the phrasal verb step up.

Super common to use in many different areas. To step up means to take responsibility or to act when needed. We see the perfect example of this in the story. Maya was just a regular employee, but when her company needed her to take more responsibility or to take action, she did it. So it's a [00:17:00] response to a need.

For example, when the project started falling apart, Jenna stepped up and fixed the problem.

Next up, we have an expression: to take the lead. To take the lead means to go first or to be the leader in a situation. So maybe I'm planning a project with four of my coworkers, and they say, "Hey, Gabby, can you take the lead on this? Can you go first? Can you be the leader in a situation?" We also have another expression, to be the point person. So, "Hey, can you be the point person?" or "Can you take point?" We use this very, very similarly to take the lead. For example, he took the lead during the meeting and guided the discussion.

Next up, we have a game plan or the game plan. This [00:18:00] is a strategy or plan that you're using to achieve some kind of goal. So this is a very, very important expression because we use this in many different areas of life. So if my husband and I have to clean our whole apartment, I might say, "Hey, what's the game plan? What's the strategy that we're gonna take? What's the plan to achieve this goal?" But we say this a lot at work when the manager asks you, "Okay, you're leading the meeting. Tell me your game plan." And, of course, you can actually use this for sports as well. That's where it comes from. Game plan. For example, before the presentation, the team met up to discuss their game plan.

Next up, we have the phrasal verb rally behind. To rally behind someone means to come together to support someone, especially during a difficult time. It can also be when you're trying to help someone succeed. So in a [00:19:00] leadership context, during a difficult time, someone steps up and takes the leadership role, and people rally behind them, meaning they support them. Not everyone will rally behind someone. Sometimes you may have people that kind of are against them. They cause some kind of drama, but rally behind is really when you come together and support.

For example, after the team lost their coach, everyone rallied behind the team captain and worked together to win the championship.

Next up, we have a heavy hitter. A heavy hitter is an important and influential person. The origins of this are in sports, but we really use this a lot for work and leadership. So a heavy hitter is someone who's very important, influential. You can feel their presence, their hits. For example, they brought in a heavy hitter from marketing to [00:20:00] help grow the brand.

So just one note here: in the context of the story, you hear that the guy named Jordan is the company's heavy hitter. This really means that maybe he makes the most sales or maybe he's one of the most influential people in the company. Everyone respects him. He brings the company a lot of success, a lot of money.

Next up, we have to push the envelope. This is an idiom, and it means to go beyond normal limits, to try new things, new ideas. So if you say that someone's pushing the envelope, this is something that was not expected. It's gonna be a little bit uncomfortable to people because it goes beyond what most people would do. So in the story, Maya wants to try new things. She's pushing the envelope. For example, this company is really popular [00:21:00] because they're famous for pushing the envelope with their creative campaigns.

Next up, we have a three-word phrasal verb: weigh in on. Weigh in on is a really cool phrasal verb. This is one that you typically wouldn't learn in a classroom unless you're in, like, a C1 or C2 advanced or proficiency class. It means to give an opinion or contribute somehow to a discussion. For example, the manager asked everyone to weigh in on the new proposal.

Next up, we have another phrasal verb: to win over. This means to gain someone's support or approval. Maybe you didn't have their support in the beginning, but they convinced you somehow with an argument, and they won you over. For example, she was able to win over the clients with her confidence and clear ideas.

[00:22:00] Next up, we have the idiom to move the needle. Move the needle means to make a noticeable or meaningful impact or change. So it's change that you can see because it's meaningful or significant. This expression comes from the fact that when you have some kind of device, like a meter or a dial, there's a physical little needle that moves to show changes. So if something is strong enough or significant enough, it makes the needle move, but if it's a small change, it won't make the needle move. For example, when you're driving in a car and the speed limit, the needle moves up the faster you go. When you have gas, the more gas you get, the needle moves. This is what they mean by moving the needle. You can actually see or notice the difference. For example, we need a new strategy that will actually move the needle [00:23:00] on sales.

Next up, we have to be in the driver's seat. You can probably imagine what this means because you're visualizing someone being in the driver's seat. This means to be in control of a situation. It's like you are the driver of the car. You are deciding which direction the car is going, how fast, when you turn. So to be in the driver's seat just means that you are in control of the situation. This is an idiom. For example, after the promotion, he was finally in the driver's seat.

Next up, we have to pull the strings. This is a really interesting idiom. I want you to imagine a puppet, P-U-P-P-E-T, like Pinocchio, okay? When you have a puppet, you pull strings and it moves, right? So if you are [00:24:00] pulling the strings of a puppet like Pinocchio, then you control the movements, and this is what the idiom pull the strings means. It means to secretly control or influence something. So oftentimes during a puppet show, right, imagine you take your children, or when you were a child, you went to see a puppet show. You can see the puppets on stage, and you don't see someone pulling the strings above, and that's what the significance of pull the strings means. It's someone who's controlling something secretly. So maybe with politicians, right, they're making a decision, but behind the scenes or secretly, someone is pulling their strings. Someone's controlling them, usually through blackmail or with money. For example, he's not the official leader, but he pulls the strings of everyone in the organization.

And this is what the [00:25:00] other person in the story was trying to do. The manager from the other department was trying to secretly influence people, secretly control people, but thankfully it didn't work.

Next up, we have a seat at the table. This is an idiom, and it means a position where you can participate in decisions. So typically, if you have a board meeting, a management meeting, any kind of meeting, you're either in a classroom or you can be at a round table or a square table, and that's where a lot of people make their decisions. So when you get a seat at the table, when you're given a seat at the table, this is a position where you are allowed to participate. You are given influence, so people can say, "I'm fighting for a seat at the table. I wanna be in a position where I can influence [00:26:00] things." For example, she worked hard to earn a seat at the table with the senior leadership.

Next up, we have the idiom to have the final say. This means to make the last and most important decision. To have a say or get a say means to give an opinion. When someone says, "I want a say" or "I don't have a say," they're talking about having influence or being able to give your opinion. So to have the final say is, you are the one who makes the last decision, the most important decision. So if you're the manager, all of your employees can give their ideas, but ultimately, you make the final decision or the final choice. For example, the director has the final say on all hiring decisions.

Next up, we have to be a mover and a shaker. This describes a [00:27:00] person who's very active and influential, and they make things happen. So they're not just words; they're words and actions. This is what Maya is in the company because she stepped up, she made a plan, she executed, so her managers called her a mover and a shaker. For example, he's a mover and a shaker in the industry and knows all the right people.

And lastly, we have the phrasal verb to hand off. This phrasal verb means to give responsibility or to give control to someone else. So you have a task, but you are now giving the task to another person. In the story, we see that Maya hands off her responsibilities to other employees because she is now the manager. For example, once the project was approved, she handed it off to the operations team.

Well, [00:28:00] guess what? You now know 18 awesome phrasal verbs, slang words, and idioms about leadership and influence. The next step that you need to take is to go download the study guide, and then after that, you need to practice the words that you learned. The more you practice them, the more easily they'll be in your memory so that you can use them with confidence.

So I want you to pick seven to 10 words from this episode and use them this week. One of the coolest things that I always—one of the best ways to do this—is actually to teach someone else. So if you have a friend or a family member who also wants to learn English, just teach them or go on Instagram or TikTok or any social media platform and just make a video and say, "Hey, I wanna teach you seven vocabulary words that I learned in a [00:29:00] podcast episode," and then teach, because the more you teach someone else, the better you remember it in your memory.

But if you don't wanna do that, you can also record an audio file where you're making sentences with the vocabulary. You can write them in a journal, you can write them in an email, you can even discuss them with a friend. However you do it, just make sure that you are practicing what you learned in today's episode.

Well, that's a wrap for today's episode of the Real Life English with Gabby podcast. Be sure to download today's study guide so that you can learn how to use this vocabulary confidently. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe for more weekly adventures in English learning. Also, I'd love to hear from you, so please leave me a review.

Thanks so much for tuning in.