‘The big ship sails on the Ally, Ally O..’* Back in the days when I studied for Nature of Management exams and went on Management Development courses, we studied things like Maslow’s Pyramid and Theory X and Theory Y approaches to human motivation. I was reminded of it yesterday when there was an item on the news about bosses buying up and using software to monitor work-at-home staff – tracking things like mouse movements, keystrokes etc. We probably all have experience of bosses who trusted us to get on with things, and had a ‘light management hand’, and others who tried to micro-manage us because they appeared not to credit us with any common sense. We can probably see some of the same difference in approach in the attitude of Governments to Coronavirus restrictions. To which do we more readily respond? Which approach do we adopt towards other people?
Lord, help us to think about how we treat other people, and how they perceive it – are we implying that we trust them, or don’t trust them, credit them with common sense or think they are stupid? Help us to give out positive messages to people, to motivate and inspire them. Help bosses and those in Government to do the same too
*Nursery rhyme: today is the last day of September