It's a Misguided Myth that Managers Must Be Consistent

When employees attending my training sessions list the positive characteristics they want in a manager, they almost always mention they desire a manager who is consistent and fair. On the flip side, favoritism is almost always listed as the most despised trait in a manager. Invariably, these comments stem from a common misconception of what consistency, fairness, and favoritism mean.

At first blush, one might think employees want managers to treat everyone equally. When I ask?this very question, employees quickly agree that equal treatment is part of their definition of consistency and fairness. But when the concept is explored deeper, equal treatment really isn't what employees want. That's because deep down most people know that in some situations there is nothing more unjust than the equal treatment of unequals.

If being consistent actually did mean treating employees equally, then management would treat the poor performer exactly the same as the exemplary performer. If consistency means equality, then management should reward the lazy and indolent worker equal to the diligent and industrious employee. Likewise, management should trust those they do not trust as if they are trustworthy or, worse yet, treat workers they?do?trust as if they are untrustworthy since some employees can’t be trusted.

Basic Rights

The U.S. Declaration of Independence declares that "all men (and women) are created equal" and endowed "with certain unalienable rights." This is certainly true. All men were created equal and all should have certain rights by birth. But then something happens.?After?birth men become unequal. Differences arise as people travel divergent paths based upon their own ambitions, desires, beliefs, and understanding. Some people do well in life while others do poorly. Some people progress while others remain dormant. Some people succeed where others fail.????????

The choices people make and the actions they take throughout the course of their lives determine their position and status in society. Of course, a person’s environment and life conditions also play a part in their developmental opportunities.

Similarly, all employees are equal the day they are hired. They are entitled to certain basic rights outlined in the core values and policies of the company. Every employee deserves to be treated with basic dignity and respect. But what an employee does?after?one is hired should determine how he or she is treated beyond the basic rights of employment. I will go so far as to submit that each employee should be treated?differently?— I might even say inconsistently — based upon how he or she performs and behaves at work. Individual treatment of individuals and a situational response to situations is the only fair way to manage.

How Employees Really Want to be Treated

I believe deep down, most people hope their company will be a meritocracy, where merit is rewarded. Employees seek an environment where all can rise according to his or her talents. It is the American dream that through one’s own hard work the cream can rise to the top. The poet, Robert Frost said: “I don’t want to live in a homogenized world. I want the cream to rise.”

At the end of the day, I believe most people wish to live in a world where those who do good thrive above those who refuse to do good. They want a world where one is rewarded for one's hard work. They don't want the indolent person to receive the same rewards as the diligent worker, otherwise, there is no incentive to shine.

Those managers who profess and practice the equal treatment of all employees will soon find that all incentives?to perform well, and all penalties for not performing, vanish. Where there is no incentive to excel, there is no excellence. Where there is no consequence for failure, people fail to perform. Equality often breeds mediocrity. The fact that the second and third-string players on a team must work hard to become first-string makes all strings on the team perform better. Performance only improves when there is a payoff for better performance. When everyone on a team receives a trophy, regardless of one’s effort, there is no need to strive for mastery.

Good managers who are honest or introspective know they shouldn't treat employees equally because employees are not equal. Some people have greater skills and talents than others. Some are wiser, more insightful, and capable of making profound decisions; while others are more limited in their scope of understanding. Some workers are fast, producing twice as much as their colleagues. Some are creative thinkers or great problem solvers, capable of designing next-generation products for their company. Some employees have more value than others because they accomplish more at far less cost to the organization. Therefore, those who do more deserve more, while those who do less deserve less.

Bad managers treat everyone the same, falsely believing all have the same worth. And in their consistency, these managers are unfair and wrong.

Good managers know treating every employee with the same consistency can be grossly?unfair because employees have different needs in similar situations. One employee, for example, may need great compassion from one's manager while grieving over the loss of a loved one. Another employee may desire just the opposite, wanting the manager to apply more pressure, forcing her to work harder in order to keep her mind off of her loss and grief. One employee may need constant communication and feedback from the manager; while another employee may work better with limited or no interaction with the boss. One worker may put family first and demand more free time; while another employee may be a workaholic and spend long hours at the office. Each worker has his or her unique personal and professional needs, requiring a different style and response from one’s manager.

Bad managers believe they should treat everyone the same regardless of their situation. They believe what they do for one they must do for all, and what they cannot do for one they cannot do for another. And in their consistency, these managers are unfair and wrong.

Conclusion

Being a manager means managing in the gray, not the black and white. Managers, or companies, for that matter, who try to make everything black and white by having strict policies or procedures to ensure consistency, will always struggle with inconsistencies. Wise managers logically or intuitively know that it is impossible to be consistent in every situation because situations are so situational. The best one can hope for as a manager is to strive to be consistent in one's inconsistencies.

Being consistent in one's inconsistencies means creating a work culture where all who perform well are rewarded and all who perform poorly are provided with developmental opportunities. It means ensuring every person who violates a terminable offense policy is terminated, regardless of their value to the organization, whom they know, or whether they are considered to be a protected class. It requires always being empathetic to someone who needs empathy, regardless of one's like or dislike for that person. And, most of all, it means responding to each situation as the situation dictates while staying within the boundaries of the company's values, principles, norms, and policies. §

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Mac McIntire is the president of Innovative Management Group, a Las Vegas-based training and consulting firm specializing in strategic visioning and alignment, organizational effectiveness, management development, quality improvement, customer service, and teamwork. He can be reached at 702-592-6431 or e-mail [email protected]. His website is www.imglv.com