So, who did you want to win? Alex, JLS or Eoghan or maybe none of the above. Being a musician, but one who has tended not to watch the weekly X Factor episode; I was quite looking forward to settling down to Saturday night’s finale. Who could but fail to enjoy the spectacle and drama of a competition that puts young, talented people in the spotlight in such a high-pressured environment? And how refreshing is it to see young people portrayed in a positive light with shared interests and goals – a lesson for our public policymakers and a business opportunity for Facebook perhaps?
Anyway, in spite of the hyperbole and clichés that came from the presenter Dermot O’Leary; I was later treated to a couple of great performances from Alex, who deserved to win hands down.
However, when I heard that over 100, 000 people applied for this year’s competition and 8 million people voted, I started to dwell on a few concerns; most notably whether we are selling the right dream to our children. For so much effort and attention, the fact remains that we have only two stars - namely Will Young and Leona Lewis – to show for several series’ worth of Pop Idol. Is this a sign of the times, and does education risk becoming sidelined with kids’ preoccupation with becoming a Premiership footballer or a Pop Idol? Pop Idol is fine, but I could not help but think that we need a junior version of a talent contest that promotes skills that are more relevant to the workplace; such as a public speaking competition for instance.
In fact, I wouldn’t mind so much if Pop Idol might encourage more people to take part in music. But if we were to use the participation rate in sport, which has declined in the past decade, against the increase in sports TV coverage; I fear that the reverse may be true. It seems to me that the watching is getting in the way of the doing; which has implications for the health and the well-roundedness of our next generation.
What is perhaps equally resonant with recruiters across the country, is the alarming gulf between the expectations of those entering the competition. Tens of thousands of our young people clearly think they have a realistic chance of becoming musical stars. Not normally one to agree with Prince Charles, I am reminded of his comment a few years ago that "I'm all for raising expectation and encouragement but there also has to be a good dose of realism."
Earlier, this year, the CIPD organised a breakfast with the Schools Minister, Jim Knight and many CIPD members. And what was the dominant theme to emerge from the discussions? Yes, you’ve guessed it; managing the high expectations of school-leavers. What is more, the minister was really struck by the example of an employer who reported that the punctuality and attendance levels improved considerably following the decision to make drama compulsory at the feeder local school.
So while we should encourage our young people to be ambitious; it is up to parents, broadcasters, schools and employers to work together to ensure that our young children are doing and achieving rather than gazing at unattainable stars.
The news this week that the gap between the earnings of men and women has widened during the past year has been greeted with concern by equal pay campaigners. Some argue that the widening of the gap is down to pay discrimination, which strengthens further the case for companies to be forced to carry out equal pay audits. However, for others, who are equally passionate about equality, it represents scant evidence that either the equal pay gap is widening in the medium term or that the primary cause of the equal pay gap is direct pay discrimination at the workplace.
On the face of it, it is true that the figures are both disappointing and surprising. However, like other statistics - such as the monthly house price figures - we should not draw conclusions on one set of findings. Better still to look at the long-term trend, which reveals that the gender pay gap has closed by around five per cent during the past ten years; which admittedly is far too slow. During those ten years, we have seen the odd annual increase in the equal pay; so let’s hope and expect this to be another anomaly.
The increase or decrease in the equal pay gap, while being a very useful indicator, however disguises the true nature of the gap and the many causes of it. The gap mainly reflects variations in the type of jobs done by men and women, different working patterns and, in particular, the impact of child and elder care on women's career choices and hours of work. All these factors are proven in research published by the Women and Equality Unit, and they all need to be taken into account when devising changes to policy and practice designed to close the gap.
In which case, the Government would do well not to look at this issue in isolation but alongside other areas of public policy such as parental leave. On which point, the Government should carry out its proposal to extend paternity leave by six months. Such an extension would give parents real choice as to who is the better placed to look after children, but also give more women the opportunity to pursue their career choice. How many women do you know who have had to downgrade or indeed change sector in the pursuit of a more family-friendly working culture? Only then will we expect to see women fulfilling their true potential at the workplace which should in turn see quicker progress on equal pay.
For much of the past year, Gordon Brown has come in for sharp and unremitting criticism for this leadership and decision-making qualities; which left many to speculate that a leadership challenge might emerge. However, the economic gloom has perversely given Brown a new lease of life; during which he has won many plaudits for his leadership qualities, not least from the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Martti Ahtisaari.
Indeed, leadership is the buzz word in all UK organisations. As CIPD surveys show, leadership and management is currently the skill that needs most attention over the next 2 years in UK organisations. So, what lies behind this dramatic reversal in fortunes; however short-lived they might prove to be?
Firstly, the ability to influence people is the defining quality of any leader. In Brown’s case, the need to influence people across the globe has been instrumental in his success, and in particular his success in persuading international leaders to follow the UK’s example to recapitalise our banks. As arguably the most experienced political leader, Brown has undoubtedly demonstrated his ability to influence the network of decision-makers he has built up during his tenure as Chancellor and Prime Minister. In this light, Cameron’s relative inexperience, particularly on the international stage, makes Brown’s recent “novice” taunt an effective one.
Secondly, I wonder whether the Cabinet has gone through the same cycle experienced by most teams and boards. The stages of the cycle comprise forming, storming (the stage where teams need to pass through a stage of conflict if they are to achieve their potential) and norming. With a new shared purpose; with the operational capacity of the Government strengthened by experienced politicians such as Lord Mandelson and Lord Myners (ex-Chairman of Marks and Spencer's), the team may now be feeling confident and may now be realising its potential. Of particular note however is the way in which Brown has used government powers to broker the HBOS and Lloyds TSB merger that shows his leadership quality.
What the example demonstrates most of all however, is how different leadership qualities are needed in different circumstances. Has Brown found his feet, or is the adversity and requirement for fine detail playing to his leadership strengths? It is noticeable how David Cameron’s sound-bites carry much less weight than they did six months ago. This however misses the more substantive point ;that we perhaps require different leaders for different times. This is certainly true of many CEOs, who excel in turning round ailing companies but perform less well when things are on a more even keel.
This was certainly true of Winston Churchill who was voted out of office when the electorate felt that we needed a different leader to face the very different post-war challenges during peacetime. The political question now is whether the comeback is sustainable and whether the state of the economy will prove to be Gordon Brown’s salvation or undoing.