TREAT PEOPLE FAIRLY
WHY IT MATTERS
Leaders can’t force people to follow them. They know that the decision to follow a leader is made voluntarily, and that people will more readily choose to follow their leader if they trust them, and feel they are treated with fairness and respect. If people feel their leader leads with preferentialism, favors some people over others, makes decisions based on how much they do or don’t like someone, or is unfair in any way, they will always feel threatened. Leaders who treat people fairly can win their hearts, and consequently, see their people become more devoted and loyal. Leaders who don’t treat people fairly may see them refuse to give anything more than is absolutely required, and hesitate to back them up when it is needed the most.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that treat people fairly want every person to feel treated and valued equally. They give everyone the same opportunities to succeed. They know the damage they can cause if those they lead feel they are leading through favoritism. They recognize the ever-present need to validate people’s worth. Through the way they treat others they create a culture that says, “we are all in this together” and “you matter,” instead of pitting people against each other.
Leaders that treat people fairly recognize the good in every member of their organization. They abstain from showing preferential treatment to anyone. They may have stronger relationships with some people over others, but they never allow those relationships to lead to privileged treatment, real or perceived.
Leaders that treat people fairly are slow to take sides with one person when problems arise. Before they form opinions, they understand all of the facts. They know that in any situation that involves more than one person there will always be two sides to every story.
Leaders that are fair expect the same high levels of performance from every person in the organization. No one is given permission to slack off. They expect everyone to give their very best. They recognize there are times when circumstances might warrant a performance exception, but they ensure those times are limited.
Leaders that treat people fairly evenly distribute reprimand and recognition. They give balanced feedback to everyone. They ensure merit systems are tied to defensible processes instead of management whims. They reward people equitably, based on actual performance, not on if they are liked.
Leaders that treat employees fairly ensure work is evenly distributed and completed. They ensure there aren’t a few people doing the majority of the work while others get by doing less. They are careful in their delegation of assignments and resources to not create “have’s” and “have not’s.”
Leaders that treat people fairly sense when people feel mistreated, even if they don’t verbalize their feelings. They provide channels and means whereby people can report inequitable conduct. They take steps to listen to those who feel unfairly treated in any way and take action to make corrections when they learn about them.
BELIEFS
BEST PRACTICES
SELF-REFLECTION
WORDS OF CAUTION
PSYCHOMETRIC 360 QUESTIONS
Leaders can’t force people to follow them. They know that the decision to follow a leader is made voluntarily, and that people will more readily choose to follow their leader if they trust them, and feel they are treated with fairness and respect. If people feel their leader leads with preferentialism, favors some people over others, makes decisions based on how much they do or don’t like someone, or is unfair in any way, they will always feel threatened. Leaders who treat people fairly can win their hearts, and consequently, see their people become more devoted and loyal. Leaders who don’t treat people fairly may see them refuse to give anything more than is absolutely required, and hesitate to back them up when it is needed the most.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that treat people fairly want every person to feel treated and valued equally. They give everyone the same opportunities to succeed. They know the damage they can cause if those they lead feel they are leading through favoritism. They recognize the ever-present need to validate people’s worth. Through the way they treat others they create a culture that says, “we are all in this together” and “you matter,” instead of pitting people against each other.
Leaders that treat people fairly recognize the good in every member of their organization. They abstain from showing preferential treatment to anyone. They may have stronger relationships with some people over others, but they never allow those relationships to lead to privileged treatment, real or perceived.
Leaders that treat people fairly are slow to take sides with one person when problems arise. Before they form opinions, they understand all of the facts. They know that in any situation that involves more than one person there will always be two sides to every story.
Leaders that are fair expect the same high levels of performance from every person in the organization. No one is given permission to slack off. They expect everyone to give their very best. They recognize there are times when circumstances might warrant a performance exception, but they ensure those times are limited.
Leaders that treat people fairly evenly distribute reprimand and recognition. They give balanced feedback to everyone. They ensure merit systems are tied to defensible processes instead of management whims. They reward people equitably, based on actual performance, not on if they are liked.
Leaders that treat employees fairly ensure work is evenly distributed and completed. They ensure there aren’t a few people doing the majority of the work while others get by doing less. They are careful in their delegation of assignments and resources to not create “have’s” and “have not’s.”
Leaders that treat people fairly sense when people feel mistreated, even if they don’t verbalize their feelings. They provide channels and means whereby people can report inequitable conduct. They take steps to listen to those who feel unfairly treated in any way and take action to make corrections when they learn about them.
BELIEFS
- People will rarely tell you if they feel treated unfairly. You need to make the effort to see if they feel treated fairly or not.
- If you don’t take action to resolve unfair treatment when you see it then you are part of the problem.
- Treating people fairly does not equate to being “soft.” It means being equally hard or soft on everyone, not a select few.
- One of the surefire ways to create trouble in the ranks is to create jealousy in the ranks.
- Don’t let your actions as a leader inadvertently create “have’s” and “have not’s.”
- You can have people who are better friends at work than others, but you can’t treat them that way.
- There are few things a leader can do to break someone’s spirit than to treat them inequitably or unfairly.
- Leaders who appear to have strong “favorites” in the organization will quickly lose trust and respect.
BEST PRACTICES
- Make everyone feel equal to one another.
- Help people feel valued and treated equitably.
- Do for one person what you would do for all.
- See and treat people as individuals.
- Show kindness and respect to all times.
- Be slow to jump to conclusions or take sides.
- Forgive the past and let people start fresh.
- Do not try to take advantage of people.
- Let people report if they feel mistreated.
- Assess if you are or aren’t being equitable.
- Reward performance, not relationships.
- Recognize there are two sides to every story.
- Ask if people feel treated unfairly.
- Treat everyone the same, no matter what.
- Don’t go easy on people that you like.
- Listen to people who may feel treated unfairly.
- Don’t give the best jobs to a select few.
- Be sensitive to the needs and wants of people.
- Do not play favorites with your employees.
- Give everyone the same chance to succeed.
- Spend your time with people equally.
- Treat people how you want to be treated.
SELF-REFLECTION
- Do I give equal treatment to all my people, or do I have clear favorites that I treat better than others?
- Do I help everyone succeed, or do I tend to be preferential towards helping some more than others?
- Do I care about how people feel they are treated, or do I think they should just be grateful to be employed?
- Do I make decisions about people based on data, or do I make decisions based on my relationship to them?
- Do I take immediate action to correct instances of unfairness, or do I turn my head and look the other way?
- Do I have the same expectations for everyone, or do I allow some people to get by with less?
- Do I treat everyone the same, or do I create “have’s” and “have not’s” in the organization?
- Do I treat people how I would like to be treated, or do I treat people differently than I would want to be treated?
WORDS OF CAUTION
- Don’t back down from making hard decisions because you are too concerned with people feeling treated fairly.
- Don’t lose your top performers because they see no difference in how they are treated compared to underachievers.
- Don’t be afraid to invest more in people who clearly show they have what it takes to be the future of the organization.
PSYCHOMETRIC 360 QUESTIONS
- Anyone can be the hero.
- Even if I really dislike someone, that person could never tell.
- I can easily forgive past mistakes.
- I can tell when something I have said is bothering someone.
- Good decisions are only made when you understand the people who will carry out those decisions.
- I would never bend the rules just to help a friend.