PART 1 Expressions
1. Somehow the stars aligned and I got the job!
What's important is the alignment that you get from them when they become the default way of thinking for the entire organization.
align: (v.) to publicly support a political group, country, or person that you agree with
Church leaders have aligned themselves with the opposition.
be aligned with sth: to organize or change sth so that it has the right relationship to sth else
The policy is closely aligned with the goals of the organization.
alignment: (n.)
their military alignment with the US
when the stars align: 直译是“当星星连成一线的时，引申意为When an unexpected and nearly impossible event takes place.
The love of my life left and went back to her own country, and I don't know if I'll ever see her again. But I pray to God each day and when the stars align I hope we'll end up together.
2. And if you think you can't apply this or other core values to traditionally stodgy, policy-driven, and boring departments within your company, think again.
stodgy: 1.(食物)硬而油腻不易消化的; 2.boring and formal or old-fashioned, used to show disapproval 庸俗无聊的
a stodgy play
stodginess: (n.)
3. From there, the work of fine-tuning and making the process more and more effective and Zappos-like was an exhilarating challenge.
exhilarating: [ɪgˈzɪləreɪtɪŋ] making you feel happy, excited and full of energy
an exhilarating experience
It was exhilarating to be on the road again and his spirit rose.
4. We decided to "steal" a few well-known and loved characters from the show and perform skills to convey the information but in a very over-the-top and funny way.
over the top: (缩写 OTT) remarks, behavior etc that are over-the-top are so extreme or unreasonable that they seem stupid or offensive
It's a bit over-the-top to call him a fascist.
over-the-counter: （缩写 OTC ） 1. over-the-counter drugs 非处方药； 2. over-the-counter business shares 场外交易发i行的股票(不通过证券市场发行和交易的股票)
5. Why not see what happens when you challenge your employees to bring all of their talents to their job and reward them for doing it just like everyone else, but for pushing the envelope, being adventurous, creative, and open-minded, and trying new things?
push the envelope: to try to go beyond the normal limits of sth
A musician who pushed the envelop of improvisation.
envelope vs. envelop:
envelope :(n.) 信封
envelop: (v.) [ɪnˈveləp] 包围；包住 eg. mountain peaks enveloping in mist; the enveloping darkness
6. The only reason we aren't swamped by our competition is because what we do is hard, and we do it better than anyone else.
swamp： 淹没 SYN inundate
be swamped by/ with sth: be given a lot of work, problems etc to deal with
We've been swamped with phone calls since the advert appeared.
7. How do you get your co-workers and direct reports to grow professionally?
direct report: In simple terms, a direct report is an employee who is managed by and reports to someone else immediately up the chain of command in the organizational structure.直接下属
8. Because of that, I was able to learn and grow by leaps and bounds, both personally and professionally.
bound: (n.) 跃起
by/ in leaps and bounds: if sth increases/ develops/ grows etc by leaps and bounds, it does it very quickly
Lifeboat technology has advanced by leaps and bounds.
9. I joined Zappos in 2007 during a hard patch in my life.
a bad/ difficult/ sticky/ rough patch: informal, a period of time when you are having a lot of difficulty
Gemma's going through a bad patch right now. (sticky: 粘性的；极不愉快的)
sb's patch: informal, an area that sb knows very well because they work or live there SNY turf
Policemen knew what's going on in their home patch.
10. They decided they'd start making a dent in other bills they had, like student loans.
dent: (n.) 1. 凹痕；2. a reduction in the amount of sth
The trio made a big dent in our savings.
Eight years of effort have hardly put a dent in drug trafficking.
(v.) 1. 使产生凹痕
The car was scratched and dented.
2. to damage or harm sth
The scandal has dented his reputation.
11. These are extraordinary times, and America is not out of the woods yet.
not be out of the wood/ woods yet: informal, used to say that there are likely to be more difficulties before things improve
The club has been giving fund for another year but it's not out of the wood yet.
PART 2 Sentences
1. The problem when someone feels burned out, bored, unchallenged, or stifled by their work is not the job itself but rather the environment and playground rules given to them to do the job at hand.
2. I think when people say they dread going into work on Monday morning, it's because they know they are leaving a piece of themselves at home. Why not see what happens when you challenge your employees to bring all of their talents to their job and reward them for doing it just like everyone else, but for pushing the envelop, being adventurous, creative, and open-minded, and trying new things?
3. Sometimes it may seem that new problems crop up as fast as we solve the old ones, but that just means that we're moving -- that we're getting better and stronger. Anyone who wants to compete with us has to learn the same things, so problems are just mile markers. Each one we pass means we've gotten better.
Yet no matter how much better we get, we'll always have hard work to do, we'll never be done, and we'll never "get it right."
That may seem negative, but it's not: we'll do our best to "get it right", and then do it again when we find out that things have changed. That is the cycle of growth, and like it or not, that cycle won't stop.
4. Roadblocks aren't a dead end here. They're a welcome challenge.
5. As it turns out, it doesn't actually matter what your company's core values are. What matters is that you have them and that you commit to them. What's important is the alignment that you get from them when they become the default way of thinking for the entire organization.
6. As difficult as times may be, if there's one thing I've learned in life, it's that things are never as bad as they seem or as good as they seem. In most cases, this perspective usually comes long after a "bad" or "good" event has occurred.