How would you feel if somebody cut your queue? How did you feel when you were glossed over for a promotion you thought was due to you? What was it like when you did not receive maximum performance bonus? Have you been judged in a competition where you thought you would have done well, yet got a lower placing? Did you feel it was unfair?
Having watched a week’s worth of international-level competition, I have heard spectators cry the word ‘unfair’ on many occasions. As a supporter, it is natural to have bias for your favourite person. When the judges’ decisions do not match the audience’s vote, was there unfairness? For a judging panel, is it fair to have more judges to enhance fairness of scoring?
On the other hand, what was it like when you were treated like a VIP? Perhaps you belong to an exclusive circle of customers and you enjoyed ‘preferred guest’ status – what is that like? How do you feel when you are served with priority at the airport check-in counter? And, you received ‘Priority’ tags on your luggage (and perhaps, an additional excess baggage?).
Fairness is a value that is hard to demonstrate well. How do you express your sense of fairness to your staff? Have you ever violated the ‘rules’ of fairness? When was the last time your colleagues described you as a ‘fair person’? You can be, simultaneously, fair to one person, and totally unfair to another. Fairness excludes preferences and prejudices. It measures your degree of impartialness.
One CEO I spoke to recently, has a challenging situation where some of his head of departments felt that one of his fast-track executives was moving ‘too fast’. How do you deal with these concerns? Do you factor jealousy into the picture? How do you manage your staff’s expectations? Do you hold back the progress and advancement of staff because of peer pressure?
Do you weigh the pros and cons of each situation before you make a decision? Do you consult others (whose opinion you value) before you make a major business decision? Do you seek the advice of experts and wisdom of the experienced, when you have to make tough choices?
Interestingly, as leaders we will need to deal with fairness constantly. Expectations are always in a state of flux, and staff will have an abundance of it. These expectations change, as it suits their needs. Fairness is a judgment. As a leader, you do your best to be fair and you demonstrate behaviors of worth that best describes this value. Yet, staff have the final say. They will have the last word on whether you were fair, or not in a situation.
Is that fair?
Leadership Challenge: Think of three ways each, where you demonstrate your sense of fairness to your colleagues, customers and family. Test these behaviors out, and then review each of them. How can you promote your fairness further?
