Abraham Maslow, Yanukovych and Tymoshenko

Eh, WTF!!!….I hear you saying dear readers.

Well I’m bored and was thinking about getting a job again……but quickly dismissed the idea……you’ll be pleased to know as I decided I am not that bored!

Anyway, whilst getting together enough diplomas to wallpaper the average apartment sized toilet and scan them, I came across my Bachelor’s from York University in Business Management (and Finance) as well as some old material, including the essential reading of the time, relating to Abraham Maslow.

Yeh and?  I know that’s what your thinking…….unless you don’t know who Abraham Maslow was and are now in “Google” or “Wiki” mode.

Well, I got to thinking about where Ms Tymoshenko and Mr YanuKovych fit into the Mr Maslow hierarchy of needs/theory of human motivation in relation to that of Ukraine’s needs.

What are their motivators and do they suit Ukraine or even a democratic political government.

The above pyramid is a general guide to Maslow’s theory but we need to break down several layers to identify the particular drivers even fruther.  At this point I will make the obvious disclaimer that I am not a psychologist however all my qualifications are in either construction or business management and all my experience since HM Forces comes in both construction, management and latterly owning and running several companies which all somehow manage to turn a profit to one degree or another, so my comments, although my own, are very much based on my experience in such roles senior management/executive.

We will look at what Ukraine really needs and then compare it to what I think drives Tymoshenko and Yanukovych.

Ukraine really needs the economy sorting out once and for all, regardless of what it takes to do it as this is this biggest issue to the everyday Ukrainian.  This falls into the bottom two rungs of the above pyramid and is of course a bloody long way from the top.

Secondly the civil service of Ukraine needs to be completely streamlined and made to adhere to the law without deviation or favour to improve the life of the average Ukrainian.  Again matters at the bottom of the pyramid.

Thirdly, the legislature needs to be clear, simple and effective in both crime, business and civil matters, which again sits at the bottom of the pyramid.

So do our leaders have the same motivators and needs as the country?

Of course not.

Both can be said to have an absolute and unbelievable need for power and control above any other motivation.  Then there is, much more apparant in Ms Tymoshenko but also existing in Mr Yanukovych, a need for autonomy and autocracy to do what they want to do without the annoyance of others getting in the way, such is democracy of course!   99.99%  of all their energy goes into this.

Therefore their motivators are in no way aligned to the needs of Ukraine or the Ukrainian.

Even if we allow a little of these motivators to be a requirement of a leader, which they are, it cannot be to the exclusion of all else in the pyramid as it is in their case.

We can then look at the secondary or less important drivers for them.

Next will come the need to change things…..as long as it is they that change it and the changes are only those they wish…..if you look at the pyramid above, so far we have not had one instantance which is subheaded – “Love/belonging” which gets even close to what Ukrainians are desperately seeking at this level and below on the pyramid.

Everything is in the realm of “self-actualisation” and does not even decend into “Esteem” as yet.

You can claim at a stretch, that as both are “popularist” by nature to one half of the country or the other, that esteem and public recognition then are on their agenda……but we are still nowhere near the desire for “belonging” or “safety” where Ukraine and Ukrainians want to have stability.

Neither seem to value or put any worth on professional expertise, respect for or from others, the need to feel they are wanted or belong in the Ukrainian community and needless to say, both are so personally rich that money and job security do not even register in their fight for power during the vast majority of the political cycle.

With such little regard to understanding the issues through professional expertise…..”esteem”….and absolutely no interest in the “belonging” section of the pyramid at all within their drivers, are these people ever going to have a good effect on Ukraine regardless of their words or deeds when they are so removed from the “family of Ukraine” and have none of the concerns below the “belonging” section of the pyramid?

The answer is of course not. 

If what really get’s them out of bed in a morning is anything but the lower end of the pyramid then they will never be anything more than successful private business people who will use Ukraine for their own gain and nothing more, paying lip service to the bottom of the pyramid and those which are struggling for even “safety”.

I know, what makes them different from any other politician in Ukraine or even on the planet……not much I suppose!

Anyway, I have put my diplomas away again, having analysed my drivers for thinking about getting a job and not really finding one real driver on Mr Maslow’s pyramid.

I think I am in need of a serious challenge again if I am to motivate myself to do anything…….any offers?