Theory X or Theory Y?

I have worked for both a Theory Y manager and a Theory X manager. I have worked for more theory Y managers but am now much happier and I believe as a result more efficient now that I work for a theory X manager.

When I was in high school I worked for a tanning salon in southern California. My boss at the time would run us like dogs and if there was ever a dip in our sales he would blame it on our character not on the market or any external force of nature. He would video tape us at the front desk and scrutinize our every word and move when making a sale. He did give us external rewards, based on sales we made commission and were given bonuses, but the monetary rewards never made up for the disrespect. I found myself more defiant towards him because of the lack of trust in my ability to do a good job.

Last year I worked for a Chamber of Commerce in Southern California. My boss there was horrible. She was the epitome of a micro-manager. She would come over to my desk and say, “what are you working on, let me see it.” or ”You’re doing it wrong, you don’t know anything”. This made me have very little motivation to be efficient.

Now at this job the culture of the organization is to trust that the employees that were hired are intelligent, hard workers that can make decisions and to leave them be to really let their skills shine. If I tell my boss an idea I have she says, “that is great, go do it. I will support you in whatever you need.” If I need her she is there but she trusts that if I can think the great idea I can also implement it without a lot of supervision. I really thrive in this environment. I like to be trusted that I can do my job and do my job well.

I think that a Theory Y management style can cause an employee to be disgruntled, resentful, and stifled of creativity. I always felt what’s the use of being innovative and creative if it will only be scrutinized, stopped in the process of, or degraded. A Theory X management style I feel opens an organization more open for creativity and allows the minds of the organization to think outside the box.

Multi-tasking: ADD or an Art Form

I am great at multi-tasking. I can do multiple random things at once. My mind can switch from one mode to another in a spilt second. I have been told I have ADD because I do just that, switch from one thing to another in a split second. I have also found that many call multi-tasking a professional skill. I have seen multiple resumes come through my department that under skills it says, “interpersonal communications, customer service, multi-tasking”. Is it really a professional skill to be able to do many things at once? Is focusing a little on many things rather than fully on one thing really more productive?

I honestly think there has to be a middle ground. Even though I am really good at switching my tasks at the drop of a hat I have had to learn a new way of multi-tasking through balance of my tasks not doing all of them at once. This new job that I have has so many different responsibilities that are occurring concurrently that if I did not have the ability to work on multiple things in the same time frame I would fail. But I have had to learn that I can work on multiple things at the same time without working on things at the same moment. In one week I can work on 5 different projects but I have had to learn to split them up throughout the day and prioritize so that at a given moment I can be focusing fully on the task at hand but then an hour later working on something completely different but still give it my full attention. My calendar looks crazy but is the only way that I have figured out how to fit it all into the same time frame without working on all of it at once. That I believe is the best way to multi-task.