I have two small children. No pun intended, I hear my “fair share” of “That’s not fair!” And I bet you do too! More often than not it comes with the territory in any position that requires a strong leadership role.
Although it’s unrealistic to think we can create an environment where we will never hear this from some of our team members, there are things you can do as a leader to minimize an unfair workplace. For starters, the best leaders give their people frequent, constructive feedback. They also create opportunities for and support professional development within the organization. When I was in the corporate sector, we did performance evaluations once per year. Unfortunately, this amount of feedback was grossly insufficient for the demands and responsibilities we held in our positions.
I suggest that you offer feedback to members of your team at least monthly. Provide opportunities for members of your team to give you feedback as well. Upward feedback is not only empowering to your people, but it will give you invaluable feedback as to what’s important to them, and how you can create a more fair, equitable environment.
Compensate fairly; promote fairly; be consistent in your leadership and management styles, and you will increase overall buy-in from members in your organization.