#Brexit Article 50 triggered - what next?

Yesterday Article 50 was served. The UK is leaving the EU (although of course there are a few who are now arguing the process is reversible).

For the democratic majority it has always been simple. The people voted in a binding democratic referendum to repatriate the powers previously handed over (or gradually but inexorably assumed by the EU as it moves undemocratically from a trading block to a full political federation)  in order that once again we become a truly sovereign nation - responsible for our own law, money and borders. It was not primarily an economic decision - it was a decision to be free to shape our own destiny - to stand on our own two feet rather than be burdened by the dead weight of EU bureaucracy, their meddling in our way of life in matters that should not concern them and limiting our ability to engage with the wider world. It was an optimistic decision - a brave decision - a decision that underlined our self belief as a nation and eventually only good will come of it - of that I am certain.

However there are some who can only see this momentous decision in economic terms - and short term economic terms at that. In order to do so they have convinced themselves they can somehow set aside the democratic referendum result - or marginalize it - or skew the message it sent (like leave yes - but the referendum never stated what leave meant - when it was totally clear the public voted to become sovereign again - and not half sovereign.)

So what now?

The UK does not believe the EU project leading towards further political integration is right for us. We want out - we have never been fully in. However that does not mean we wish the EU ill - we just want a different type of future. We want to be good neighbors and co exist together in harmony for the mutual good. We see no reason why we shouldn't be able to trade with each other sensibly and reasonably - trade from which everyone will benefit.

However it is clear the EU is now primarily a political entity - not a trading one. The politics in the EU are in turmoil and there is a great deal of unrest. The EU project has so many problems. Those EU politicians most deeply invested in the EU project are fighting for survival and may well feel a UK doing well outside the EU will undermine future cohesion of the EU project and therefore will do everything they can to undermine the UK. Germany and France have the most to lose of course.

Therefore I expect the news coming out of the EU to appear initially negative towards UK leave - and this will cause political pressures at home and embolden the remoaners. There will be ups and downs not least over the so called divorce settlement. (we are a net contributor of over £10 billion pa. The EU will have to find this money elsewhere unless they can prise it out of us. I have no idea what a fair figure would be regarding ongoing liabilities we have signed up to - I also have no idea of assets we could legitimately claim to offset). This will be very contentious as it is a matter of disputed legal opinion about the obligation for future liability and what it comprises of.) At the end of the day the British electorate will expect the EU to act fairly and reasonably. If there is a sense that the EU wish to punish us out of malice - then the bull dog spirit will be to back our government - accept the pain - and get on with building our future with the rest of the world. (No deal better than a bad deal).

However :

My own view is the problems in the EU are going to increasingly hit the fan - and those problems will underpin (bolster the UK electorate in support of leave) in the UK the good sense of the UK decision and lead the EU to accept cutting off their noses to spite the UK through penal trading terms makes no sense. The EU is going to have massive budgetary issues to deal with so why make it worse? (see below).

The issues that will come to the fore in the EU are :-

• Elections in France & Germany will weaken the hand of the EU federalists. Consequently there might be more emphasis on the importance of trade rather than a further move to political union and the UK will be offered a decent and sensible trade deal.
• The migrant issue will re-emerge on the borders of the EU as the weather improves. Merkel's policy will further unravel and cause great tensions within EU countries many of whom do not want to accept more migrants. One way or another there will be very significant financial costs to the EU in dealing with this issue which they have contrived to exacerbate.
• The Southern Europe economies continue to struggle or worse - the euro debt crisis has not been dealt but fudged. It will re-emerge and further massive bailouts will be required.
• The American's are contemptuous of the EU's reliance on American money to underpin the defense of Europe and this will have to change at great cost to the EU economies.
• The American's are not well disposed to a trade deal with the EU as a block - they see the EU primarily as a project to serve the best interests of the Germans. This will bring about change.

Sooner or later Theresa May will win a landslide victory in a general election which will place a final seal on the Brexit democratic decision.  

#OldSarum

The other day Jo and I headed out on our bikes for some fresh air and exercise. We cycled from Alderbury - skirting Salisbury itself - to the ancient hill top settlement of Old Sarum. When Jo suggested the ride as a good one to do I readily agreed - not knowing much about Old Sarum - other than it was an "old" settlement and on a hill! It is only subsequently that I have done a bit of research.

Old Sarum certainly was a "good one to do"! It was a steady climb on our bikes - not especially hard to do - but what a spectacular view from the top. The views are 360 degrees panoramic - the county of Wiltshire and beyond spread out all around below. It is easy to understand why the site was so strategically significant and why its catalogued history is so fascinating.

The site is now managed by English Heritage and their public information boards provide information about the history of the site - making it not too hard to imagine what it might have been like in centuries past. There really was a massive sense of history there - despite the fact that only remnants of original buildings now exist.

I have downloaded an extract from Wiki :

Old Sarum is the site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury in England. Located on a hill about 2 miles (3 km) north of modern Salisbury, the settlement appears in some of the earliest records in the country. It is an English Heritage property and is open to the public.The great monoliths of Stonehenge and Avebury were erected nearby and indications of prehistoric settlement have been discovered from as early as 3000 BC. An Iron Age hill fort was erected around 400 BC, controlling the intersection of two native trade paths and the Hampshire Avon. The site continued to be occupied during the Roman period, when the paths became roads. The Saxons took the British fort in the 6th century and later used it as a stronghold against marauding Vikings. The Normans constructed a motte and bailey castle, a stone curtain wall, and a great cathedral. A royal palace was built within the castle for King Henry I and was subsequently used by Plantagenet monarchs. This heyday of the settlement lasted for around 300 years until disputes between the Wiltshire sheriff and the Salisbury bishop finally led to the removal of the church into the nearby plain. As New Salisbury grew up around the construction site for the new cathedral in the early 13th century, the buildings of Old Sarum were dismantled for stone and the old town dwindled. Its long-neglected castle was abandoned by Edward II in 1322 and sold by Henry VIII in 1514.

As is so often the case my visit to the Old Sarum site was of limited time - nominal - cursory. In some ways it would be wonderful to really put some time in - to focus on a place like this - as some people do of course. Time - time - too many choices - too many options - in todays modern world. ( I will do it when I am old - ha!) But every time you go somewhere like this you do get something out of it - apart from some wonderful air and scenery. I have spent some restful quiet time thinking about the construction of the massive moat and motte and bailey - how it was done - what an incredible physical effort it must have been. Obviously the Old Sarum site offered a wonderful hill top strategic site - but concentric moats and a motte and bailey were subsequently constructed. I now know the motte is a flat toped hill (mound) often constructed from the materials excavated from the digging of the moat. On top of the motte - sat a walled enclosure to protect the keep - and within the keep - the bailey - a fortified tower or castle. 

So - maybe 4500 years of continuous habitation on this site - incredible when you think about it. We very obviously walked on the same turf that iron age people have walked on - that Romans and Saxons and Vikings and Normans have walked on. I wonder who were our forbears? Wow!

A model of the site in Norman times

An ariel view of the site as it is today.

From the natural hilltop there is a fantastic 360 degree view. Salisbury Cathedral in the distance.

The motte - and remnants of the Bailey on the top. From this angle you cannot see the moat. 

How the original "cathedral" might have looked at Old Sarum

#ForeignnationalprisonersheldintheUK @30th January 2017

More good reasons why we need to control our borders and have a vigourous points based system for inward migration. Criminality should mean total loss of the right to be here and trump any other human right which are so often used to avoid deportation.

The cost to the nation of uncontrolled immigration and an over arching interpretation of individual human rights has cost us billions and detracted massively from our society and way of life. Hopefully with Brexit we can achieve a clear out of the ridiculous number of undesireables that have been able to come here under the nonsense of free movement of people.


See the link to the Justice Dept. https://www.justice.gov.uk/offenders/types-of-offender/foreign

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-39177620

Foreign national prisoners

In the last ten years the number of foreign nationals in prison has doubled and now represents over 14% of the total prison population in England and Wales. There are a huge range of nationalities and languages to be considered alongside the cultural and religious diversity that the foreign nationals already bring.

Prison staff are taking a proactive role in coping with their differing needs. Many establishments hold regular meetings between staff and prisoners to discuss the challenges facing foreign nationals, such as immigration status, staying in contact with family, language difficulties and resettlement. Some prisons produce magazines providing helpful advice and points of contact for prisoners during their time in custody. In addition to this, the invaluable booklet 'Information and Advice for Foreign National Prisoners' is available across the estate in 22 languages and contains substantial information on issues including prison regimes, support organisations and contacting families.

The Prison Service has worked hard to build closer relationships with Embassies and High Commissions, some of whom provide their own literature catering directly for their imprisoned citizens, as well as consular assistance.

The Prison Service and the UK Border Agency have been working together during the last 18 months to ensure that foreign nationals' immigration status is dealt with before their earliest release date. This has helped to ease the worries of many prisoners who were concerned when they would be removed from the United Kingdom. The UK Border Agency is also working to transfer a greater number of time expired prisoners from Prison Service establishments to Immigration Removal Centres.

In addition to the normal removal at the end of sentence, a prisoner can return home up to 135 days early by the Early Removal Scheme. Many foreign nationals are able to be repatriated to serve the remainder of their sentence in their home country. This enables the prisoner to be nearer their family and allows participate in rehabilitation programmes specific to their country.

The Facilitated Returns Scheme, launched in October 2006, provides incentives to foreign nationals nationals from outside the European Economic Area to return to their country of origin. Foreign nationals returning voluntarily can receive financial assistance to help their reintegration when returning home.

#HighgateCemetery & Tate Modern - a day out in London

From time to time - and usually over the winter - I like to go to London for a day out. I have no idea how the seed was planted but for years it was on my list to have a look around Highgate Cemetery which was originally established in the Victorian era. It is now Grade 1 listed.

As is now usual of course - the starting point was an internet search and Highgate Cemetery has a fully functioning website. The Cemetery is divided into West and East. The West side can only be visited under a guided tour - which takes about 70 minutes. I booked the tour online and think I paid £12 for two. It turned out to be really good value - because it was fascinating.

It is easy to get there. Northern Line tube to Archway, exit for Highgate Hill. Shortish walk up the hill to a gate on the left into Waterlow Park. A pleasant walk through the park takes you to the entrance to the 2 cemetaries in Swains Lane.

Our guide Simon was one of the Friends of Highgate. He explained how London's population doubled in size to just under 2 million in the latter part of the 18th century / early 19th century. There was totally inadequate provision for disposal of bodies and as a consequence disease was rife including dramatic outbreaks of cholera. Cemeteries like Highgate were set up as commercial organizations to solve the problem - they were nothing to do with the church as such. This combined with the Victorian attitude to burial and their trait to be ostentatious (a show of wealth was typically  important to them) - results in the Highgate we are now left with (although it is still a fully functioning cemetery).

Simon presented us with many interesting facts and insights into Victorian life and the emergence of Highgate and how it reflects the history of our society over the last 150 years or so. He also told a good number of anecdotes about the lives of individual people buried there. I could try and recount them - but think I should just encourage you to go and see and hear them for yourselves.

Strangely enough for us it was both an uplifting and thought provoking place to visit. I learned a lot of general interest but more importantly - it maybe answered some questions I might have not have otherwise posed - personal ones.

I have copied and pasted part of the Highgate cemetery visitors brochure to provide some background

Additionally I have downloaded the Wiki entry :


Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. It is designated Grade I on the Historic England Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.^[1] It is divided into two parts, named the East and West cemetery. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves at Highgate Cemetery.^[2] Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as well as for its de facto status as a nature reserve

The cemetery in its original form – the northwestern wooded area – opened in 1839, as part of a plan to provide seven large, modern cemeteries, now known as the "Magnificent Seven", around the outside of central London. The inner-city cemeteries, mostly the graveyards attached to individual churches, had long been unable to cope with the number of burials and were seen as a hazard to health and an undignified way to treat the dead. The initial design was by architect and entrepreneur Stephen Geary.
On Monday 20 May 1839, Highgate Cemetery was dedicated to St. James^[3] by the Right Reverend Charles James Blomfield, Lord Bishop of London. Fifteen acres were consecrated for the use of the Church of England, and two acres set aside for Dissenters. Rights of burial were sold for either limited period or in perpetuity. The first burial was Elizabeth Jackson of Little Windmill Street, Soho, on 26 May.

Highgate, like the others of the Magnificent Seven, soon became a fashionable place for burials and was much admired and visited. The Victorian attitude to death and its presentation led to the creation of a wealth of Gothic tombs and buildings. It occupies a spectacular south-facing hillside site slightly downhill from the top of the hill of Highgate itself, next to Waterlow Park. In 1854 the area to the east of the original area across Swains Lane was bought to form the eastern part of the cemetery. This part is still used today for burials, as is the western part. Most of the open unforested area in the new addition still has fairly few graves on it.

Circle of Lebanon, West Cemetery

The cemetery's grounds are full of trees, shrubbery and wildflowers, most of which have been planted and grown without human influence. The grounds are a haven for birds and small animals such as foxes. The Egyptian Avenue and the Circle of Lebanon (topped by a huge Cedar of Lebanon) feature tombs, vaults and winding paths dug into hillsides. For its protection, the oldest section, which holds an impressive collection of Victorian mausoleums and gravestones, plus elaborately carved tombs, allows admission only in tour groups. The eastern section, which contains a mix of Victorian and modern statuary, can be toured unescorted.
The tomb of Karl Marx, the Egyptian Avenue and the Columbarium are Grade I listed buildings.
Because of the Karl Marx association a variety of Socialist leaders and thinkers are buried within the cemetery grounds.
Highgate Cemetery was featured in the popular media from the 1960s to the late 1980s for its so-called occult past, particularly as being the alleged site of the "Highgate Vampire".

Friends of Highgate Cemetery

The Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust was set up in 1975 and acquired the freehold of both East and West Cemeteries by 1981, since when they have had responsibility for the maintenance of the location. In 1984 they published Highgate Cemetery: Victorian Valhalla by John Gay.

I attach a few photos. You will see many of the graves have been affected by subsidence and/or tree root damage. The friends of Highgate are pursuing a policy of "managed neglect". It is not their policy to restore as such.

The overriding thought for us is how much ideas of dealing with our bodies on death have moved from Victorian times. Far more people are now cremated. The thought of being interned in a dark vault - encased in a lead coffin so nothing of the earthly body can escape is quite grim in my view. But you can still be buried at Highgate and people are.

I attach a few photos :

Managed neglect

Rossetti - a fascinating story

Recent - Litvenenko and plutonium

The largest vault room. Apparently it has a beautiful white marble interior and has the room for many more but the family have died out.

It is very interesting

Cedar of Lebanon

Tom Sayers - the legendary boxer

Egyptian Avenue

A more recent grave stone - Beryl Bainbridge. Plots close to paths cost more.

Some in the family are believers some are not. One side of the vault is consecrated ground the other half is not. Good business to take all comers.

East Highgate - more open - more current - no guide required.

Not one of my heroes but interesting none the less

Later in the afternoon we crossed the river to Tate Modern on the south bank of the Thames . This was certainly in contrast to Highgate. It is somewhere I have been a number of times but a first for Jo.
As with Highgate the only possible recommendation is you go there yourself. I always enjoy Tate Modern - but I do not understand it. Much passes me by and Jo was scathing at the artists gall - but it is all harmless I guess. We agreed some exhibits were pleasing to look at - good on the eye. Much wasn't. What we both struggled with (and amused us at the affront to our intelligence or otherwise) was the artists interpretation of the "meaning" behind their work - or what it represented. We felt like shouting out "THE KING IS NOT WEARING ANY CLOTHES". One thing I am sure of - much of the work would be incomprehensible without the artists interpretation and much of the work appeared shoddy.

This is a link to one installation we found particularly unconvincing - ha!

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/gowda-behold-t14118

Here are some limited examples :

Tate Modern (in the old Bankside Power Station) - now easily accessed via the pedestrian Millennium Bridge

So without doubt we had a great day out in London - and it cost peanuts because the Tate is basically free. On Saturday we disciplined ourselves to do a 9 mile run and I had a fantastic afternoon slouched on the settee watching the 6 nations rugby! On Sunday had a good bike ride out in the woods followed by perfect food and beer. A full and very enjoyable - and thought provoking long weekend. Excellent indeed.

#Leadership PT3 the 3 circles - John Adair's Action Centred Leadership

This is the last of the pearls of wisdom on leadership - ha! I am passing them on - because they have been useful to me.

In the first blog I wrote about theory X and Y leadership styles - and in the second about the decision making process. This short 3rd blog brings them together I hope,

This blog is about John Adair's 3 circles leadership model (although for a much more detailed and comprehensive account you should read his Action Centred Leadership books). Apparently John Adair taught leadership at the British Army's officer training college at Sandhurst in the 1960's. I came across Action Centred Leadership through The Industrial Society in the mid 1970's. At the time I was an instructor at Lloyds Bank Training College at Hindhead, Surrey. The Bank incorporated it in their training - to try and improve "management" skills. Anyway I bought into it as something simple and practical.

The essence of ACL is demonstrated in a simple diagram - John Adair's 3 circles approach to leadership.

The original basic diagram

Adair says there are three components to effective leadership represented by the 3 circles. A précis summary explanation of his ACL model :-

• The TASK is at the top because it is the objective - the raison d'etre.
• The task is achieved by the TEAM and by individuals
• The team is made up of INDIVIDUALS
• The diagram demonstrates the TASK, TEAM and INDIVIDUAL circles overlap - they affect each other.

Adair explains that while the Task is the raison d'etre - to function effectively and for the optimum achievement of the task the three circles have to be held in BALANCE and that is the job of an effective leader to achieve.

Understanding balance is important. Too much attention in one area or too little can undermine effective leadership. ACL does not require a leader to put the same amount of time into each area - but emphasizes if a leader is only TASK orientated Team or Individual morale might suffer and be out of balance and therefore affect the achievement of the task. An effective leader will recognize when team matters need attention or where an individual within the team needs support etc.

There are many examples of where the 3 circles could be described as out of balance. Here are a few - but the list is not exhaustive of course.

• An individual has a personal problem and not performing properly. It is affecting both the team performance and the achievement of the task. The leader needs to rebalance somehow. This might include for instance - getting rid - reassigning - disciplining - training - counselling etc etc - whatever the leader does it should be about reestablishing balance.
• However the leader might over indulge individuals - he might have favorites - divided loyalties. Out of balance - detrimental to team and task.
• The team might be dysfunctional for some reason. Why? It needs attention. The team might be over indulged. The leader might be soft on discipline to be popular. There might be a bully in the team - or poor communication. Pay might be an issue. Team needs are out of balance. An effective leader needs to recognize when and do something about it.
• The Team and the individual are happy but the task is not getting done. Too much emphasis on team and individual perhaps? Too many bonding days - too much social activity - too much time spent understanding personal wants and needs.

The list above does not give answers to how to balance the 3 circles - ACL is primarily the leader recognizing  the importance of achieving balance between task team and individual - because the are intertwined and effect each other positively or negatively.

For what it is worth in my businesses I see the staff team and individuals within the team as batteries driving the business - and it is up to me to keep those batteries charged up so they give off full power to get the task done.

#Leadership PT2 tells sells consults

This is PT 2 of my 3 planned blogs about leadership. In this one I am covering decision making - a key factor in effective leadership of course.

It sounds like a bit of slick management speak jargon - but tells, sells, consults succinctly sums up the points I wish to make.

Autocratic leaders make all the decisions and tell their team what they are going to do.

Semi autocratic leaders make the decisions but sell their ideas to their team.

Consultative leaders seek opinions and group decisions emerge.

So what are the advantages and disadvantages of each :

Tells - a quick, clear decision - but one that excludes the input of other team members. Possible downsides of exclusion - ownership of the decision and the effect on motivation, not utilizing the input of team members which might be valuable and leaving the team vulnerable if for some reason the leader is not there. There are others of course.

Sells - can be a slower process and the leader might "open a can of worms". However sells will go some way to mitigate the downside of tells.

Consults - tells in reverse.

A good leader will understand the advantages and disadvantages of these three basic approaches to decision making and determine which is the most appropriate for each particular circumstance and shape his/her approach accordingly. A poor leader will only have one approach. This might work in the short term - depending on circumstances but over the long term a one size fits all approach is unlikely to be optimum or even effective. This is certainly true in parenting when factors such as personal development against tiredness have to be taken into account

As an example - in an emergency situation - where speed of action is the essence - a tells strategy is required. For example on a sailing boat the skipper will often not have the time to consult his crew before a tack or gybe and certainly not in a man over board drill or a fire down below.

On a hike the leader might have more time to explain his choice of route and timings and there might be benefits that accrue from that. If I was honest this is my favored approach or default position. I am a seller. Often I use the line - "if I was on my own I would do this". I am open to some discussion. Being challenged or tested can often result in a better decision.

A consultative approach can demonstrate both strong - confident leadership or weak - indecisive leadership. It certainly can be more creative - more collaborative - more fun and more rewarding for everyone involved - but you need the luxury of time but also good time management because some committees will talk all day! For instance I have found as my family have grown up this approach has become more and more appropriate in family matters and increasingly I am happy to pass the baton - despite the fact my wonderful offspring still somewhat doubt it - ha!

#Leadership PT1 theory X & Y

In the preamble to my recent Darwinism blog I wrote about distilling down experiences to form a philosophy or at least an insight into what makes things tick - or the world go around - ha!

Here are a few thoughts about leadership that make sense to me. We are all leaders at sometime in our life - even if just as parents. We are also led. So understanding something about the dynamics of leadership is helpful.

I am not going to tackle the old chestnut - "are leaders born or made" but I am going to cover 3 aspects of leadership in 3 separate blogs. Part 1 I will call theory X & Y. I don't know whose original theory it is - it is certainly not mine - and I am not claiming it is. I do not remember where I came across it. I will say it encapsulates an insight about people that good and effective leaders utilize spontaneously. Whoever wrote the theory put into words what many people inherently understand - but some don't.

This is my précis - my simplification of theory X & Y as it relates to leadership/management - which of course much of day to day life is about. Here goes :-

Everyone is actually drawn to being either a theory X or a theory Y personality.

Theory X people - are natural task managers. Getting the job done is their focus. Single minded. No nonsense. No excuses. No shirking.

In an employment situation and in a more negative sense theory X's often believe their team will shirk if they can , they avoid responsibility if they can and are mainly motivated by money. 

Theory Y people - are empathetic - people persons. Their focus is typically not so obviously task orientated - and more directed to individual and team needs - maybe in the belief you get more out of the team or the individual if they are happy or understood.(or the leader is popular/liked.)

In an employment situation and in a more positive sense theory Y's often believe money reward is a poor motivator (it often is over the longer term if imbursement is already adequate), that people want to enjoy their work and will take on responsibility readily.

In a nutshell

Theory X leaders do get the task done - but at what cost to morale and therefore to individual and/or team sustainability. Do they get the best out of people?

Theory Y leaders might not get the task done or done so efficiently or profitably because they have been indulging their team members instead of remembering why they are there. However the converse can very easily be true. They do get the task done in a sustainable way because happy and engaged individuals and a integrated team can be much more effective - especially in the longer term.

THE KEY LESSON

Recognize 2 things :-

1) That you are naturally either theory X or Y when placed in a supervisory/management/leadership role.

2) That at different times and in different situations you need to modify your natural theory bias because the other will be more effective.

Put simply there are situations where you need a Theory X approach - others a Theory Y and the most effective leaders understand that and make the transition naturally.

As an example - in an emergency situation - you definitely need to be task orientated - but in other situations more collaborative perhaps. Maybe carrot or stick is a good descriptor.

PRACTICAL THOUGHTS

Parenthood - there is a time for understanding and indulging - there is a time to give your kids a good shove which they will eventually benefit from. For myself I am always inclined to say well done to my children and be supportive - because self confidence and strong self esteem is so important - but I also recognize that at times it is in their interest to say I am disappointed and you have to try harder - or something a bit stronger - get your bloody finger out and start putting some real effort in - to short term resentment and sulks!. Not easy - ha!.

I read something the other day that parents are too often doing their offspring a disservice by constantly praising them and telling them they are the best in the world - because when they enter the world of work they abruptly discover they are not and consequently cannot cope. We also know some parents press their children too hard - are too results focused - and this can ultimately lead to all sorts of issues including outright rebellion and the breaking down of relationships. Tough love has its place - it is just when and how.

In a work or sports environment a leader sometimes requires a ruthless streak - not a natural disposition to adopt for some - but sooner or later it will have to be found - or sink. On the other hand a leader that demands 110% all day everyday without subtlety will likely burn out his staff and cause resentment.

OVERALL

It seems to me an understanding of theory X & Y will make you a more effective leader but perhaps just as importantly it will maybe make you a more effective team member as you will have a better insight into the dynamics of the situation you are in.