11/19/2025

In Leadership, You Get What You Expect

Expectations have an uncanny way of turning into real, measurable effects

It has been 70 years since Douglas McGregor sketched a management theory at MIT Sloan that leaders still ignore—and their teams pay the price.

Known as Theory X and Theory Y, McGregor's framework built on Abraham Maslow's work on employee self-actualization, and it quickly became one of the foundational texts of modern management thinking.

In McGregor's theory, leaders fall into two camps. Theory X managers assume that employees are inherently lazy, need constant supervision and would rather coast along than contribute. Theory Y managers, by contrast, see employees as self-motivated, responsible and capable of growth when given the right environment.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Fast Company.