Favoritism in the Workplace: Leading with Consistency

Favoritism is a Part of Life

 
We all have things we like more than others.

Ice Cream over Broccoli, long hair more than short hair, comedies over dramas and so on and so forth.

Human nature has us all wired to appreciate some things more than others. And while food, hair styles and movie theaters don’t have feelings, your employees on the other hand do.

Leaving us to ask the question…

What affect does favoritism have in the workplace?
 

Awareness is Key to Action

 
Have you ever stepped back to consider whether or not you play favorites with your team members? Pretend as if no one will hear your answer and ask yourself; did you say yes?

It wouldn’t be even a bit surprising to find out that a huge percentage of people in leadership roles play favorites. It may even be for good reason. The hardest working, most productive, nicest or even best looking people can easily become favorites for an assortment of legitimate and perhaps not so legit reasons.

Now ask yourself another question…

Do you think that your employees notice the favoritism?

It is kind of like the VIP of a hot night club or the Club Suites at an NFL stadium. Everyone notices…only not everyone admits it.
 

Employees are Smarter Than You Think

 
I always say, people are smarter than you give them credit for.

The cynics would say I’m crazy and that they are “Less Smart,” but I am a believer in people. I think they are smart, talented and capable; and given the right support and direction they are capable of accomplishing great things.

One of the things that people are by nature good at doing is seeing through the actions of others.

Sometimes they are able to clearly see it, sometimes it is just a feeling that they get, but all the time they can see when something doesn’t measure up.

Suffice it to say, your employees can see when there are favorites being played. So keep this in mind!
 

The Risks of Favoritism

 
When you show favoritism toward a certain subset of any group, you are bound to get both visible and less obvious resentment. Nobody wants to be second fiddle.

Over a period of time, those that fall into the lesser (unfavored) category may distance themselves, show lower levels of productivity and even become “Culture Killers” as they will likely alert those less in tune with the situation to the inequality within the organization.

And while you are getting that uptick from those in your “VIP” section, the rest of your team feels removed like the “Obstructed View” seats at the ball park.
 

The Fix is In: Be Consistent

 
Chances are your love for Ice Cream and Long Hair won’t change just because you want it to. But when it comes to your employees, consistency is key.

Favoritism doesn’t benefit anyone in a company environment.

It merely builds walls and divides team.

That isn’t to say that hard work, commitment and productivity can’t and shouldn’t be rewarded. In fact it doesn’t even mean that you can’t in your head have a favorite. What it means is that this is something that your organizational stakeholders should not see. (To be realistic)

This is because in any organization, the results should be the sum of everyones work and not just those who are preferred.

If there is no clear need for “Everyone Else” then perhaps there is a different human resource problem that needs to be addressed.

One thing is for sure, leaders that get the greatest results know how to get the most out of all of their resources which is never done by division or subtraction, but rather through multiplication and division.