10th grade Advanced. Unit 7. Lesson 7. Business geniuses

👉Communicative area: discussing business geniuses; reading and listening for gist and detail

👉Active vocabulary: entrepreneur, conventional

👉Active grammar: Conditional III

 Read the article on the topic. What qualities should a business genius possess? 

What is a genius? A 17th century English poet wrote: “Genius is above correctness”. A genius is able to ignore conventional ideas about what’s possible and to … dream. By realising their dreams, geniuses succeed in redefining of what’s possible. In 17 December, 1903, the Wright brothers made their first flight. It lasted 12 seconds. On 12 April, 1961, Yuri Gagarin orbited the Earth. If it hadn’t been for the Wright Brothers, Gagarin probably wouldn’t have made his flight. Within less than six decades, humanity had gone from never having flown, to sending a man into space. 

So, what does a business genius look like? Steve Jobs, the Apple founder seems to be the best example. Mr Jobs wasn’t conventionally smart. His success highlights an interesting difference between intelligence and genius. His imagination was instinctive, unexpected, and, at times, magical. It was brought about by intuition, not analytical powers. For him, experience was more important than analysis. He didn’t study data or numbers, he could guess what lay ahead. 

How is the genius different from the dreamer? It is not enough to have new ideas. They have to be put into practice. Steve Jobs didn’t have the idea for the PC, but he realised that the PC needed to be much more user-friendly than his competitors’ computers were. The Macintosh was small, cute and easy to use. Just as Apple’s music players, phones and tablet computers. Apple wasn’t the first into these markets, but its product seemed to be the best one out, embodying the unity of perfect form and easy function. 

So, a genius isn’t necessarily the smartest person in the room, but the one with the imagination and persistence to translate a smart idea into the best product. It’s someone who believes they are right when everyone around them is calling them a fool. A successful entrepreneur doesn’t have to get a million-dollar small business idea, but they have to turn the idea into a million dollars. 

To become a successful entrepreneur, you need to believe in yourself even when the so-called experts tell you you’re doomed to fail. You need the ability to think “What if?” and be smart enough to know how to achieve your dream. A good entrepreneur, like a genius, is a dreamer who’s prepared to get things done.

1. How did a 17th-century English poet define genius?

2. What are some notable achievements mentioned in the text that demonstrate human progress?

3. According to the text, what is a key difference between intelligence and genius?

4. Why does the text suggest that Steve Jobs was a business genius?

5. What qualities did Steve Jobs rely on instead of analytical powers?

6. What example does the text give to show that having new ideas isn’t enough?

7. How did Apple’s products embody the idea of genius in business?

8. According to the text, what is the main characteristic that distinguishes a genius from a dreamer?

9. What does the text say about the importance of belief in oneself for entrepreneurs?

10. How does the text define a successful entrepreneur?

1. What kind of prize has been set up? 

2. How big is the prize? How does it compare with the Nobel Prize? 3. Why was the prize established? 

4. What made Yuri Milner decide to set up the prize? 

5. Who sponsors the prize together with him? 

6. What was the recipients’ reaction to getting the prize? 

7. What would you do if you received such a prize? 

8. What is the attitude of the news item’s author to business geniuses?