Dad Advice for Managers

🌿 “Don’t treat everyone the same, but do treat everyone fairly.”🌿

I recently had the opportunity to share some of the best management advice I’ve ever received with a mentee who was just promoted into a managerial role.

I got that gem from my dad about a decade and a half ago when I was taking on my first management role. Obviously it stuck with me—I think because it contains so much in just a few words.

Being fair (and being perceived as fair) is important because nothing will sow discord and discontent like bias in the system. To both be and be perceived as fair, a manager has to have very clear, universally accessible standards, be as transparent as possible, and make sure they get the right level of input from others when making decisions.

Unilateral decisions that seem to come out of the blue with little input from your team are not just an express ticket to Grumble Town. They’re usually just not very good ones.

Not treating everyone the same means that as a manager not only do you have to recognize that everyone has different strengths and motivations, you have to find the unique ways to help that individual amplify the good stuff and help to change or mitigate their challenges.

Some managers try to make everyone on their team carbon copies of themselves. Not only is that impossible, it’s a missed opportunity to make the whole stronger than the sum of its parts.

We’re all unique beasts. Find yourself a manager that acts like it.