Alpha males and leadership
The men, and it is overwhelmingly men, who lead the great companies of the UK have been given, on average, a 16% pay rise over the last year. They have managed this while not being particularly good bosses.
We know this because British management is well known to be so bad that it accounts for almost a third of the difference in productivity between the UK and its economic rivals; the USA, Germany and France.
But they are also very bad leaders, at a time of food banks, huge inflation, increasing interest rates, fuel poverty and mortgage misery, the leaders of businesses which employ millions of struggling workers have decided that they alone should be totally insulated from any such inconveniences.
The ones who could most afford to show leadership and solidarity decided to fill their boots. It does not seem to have occurred to any of them to share the pain, but why should they; they think they are Alpha males.
Any pay cut is an insult, anything but a pay rise is damaging to their fragile egos, they demand respect and adulation.
Apparently they could, at any moment, cross the Atlantic and earn far more, we are lucky to have them.
The fact that it is hard to name a single top British executive who has made it in America is an inconvenient truth.
So, how about executive renumeration committees trying this?
Take a pay freeze, share at least a small part of the pain, donate your bonus to food banks or energy charities, lose your final salary pension like all the people under you have, and show some real leadership; or get out.
Unfortunately that will never happen we have neither real leaders nor alpha males in charge, just the selfish and greedy.
Economics, trade and Brexit, not necessarily in that order but the dog always comes first.
By Jonty Bloom Media