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Toxic Leadership


  • Level:

    Upper-Intermediate & higher

  • Estimated classroom time:

    90 min

  • Access:

    premium

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Pre-work
pdf
Workbook – Student’s Copy
pdf
Workbook – Teacher’s Copy
pdf
Classroom Presentation
ppt

What you get

Great leaders inspire. Toxic leaders drive people away. This Upper-Intermediate ESL workbook explores what separates the two through realistic workplace scenarios, authentic listening tasks, and engaging decision-making activities. Students develop the language to discuss leadership styles, workplace culture, and difficult management situations while expressing and defending their opinions with confidence.

The vocabulary section introduces powerful workplace idioms and leadership expressions that make discussions sound more natural and expressive. Learners practice phrases like "have boots on the ground," "drop someone like a hot brick," "heavy-handed," and "set off a chain reaction" to describe leadership styles, workplace dynamics, and difficult business decisions with greater confidence and precision.

Packed with interactive tasks that encourage critical thinking, discussion, and real-world communication:

✅ Visual warm-up (students explore different interpretations of leadership through thought-provoking images)

✅ Discussion (guided questions about the qualities of effective and ineffective leaders)

✅ Listening activity (students evaluate real workplace conversations and decide whether each manager demonstrates strong or toxic leadership)

✅ Brainstorming task (students discuss dismissals, workplace ethics, and the impact of leadership decisions on employees and organizations)

✅ Vocabulary practice

✅ Business simulation (teams analyze employee profiles)

✅ Reflection activity