Although great managers are committed to the concept of “fairness,” they define it rather differently from most people. In their mind “fairness” does not mean treating everyone the same. They would, say that the only way to treat someone fairly is to treat them as they deserve to be treated, bearing in mind what they have accomplished. Jimmy Johnson, the coach who led the Dallas Cowboys to two Super Bowl rings and who now manages the Miami Dolphins, captures their atti_ tude toward “fairness.” He made this point in a speech to the Miami players immediately after taking the reins from Don Shula:
“I am going to be very consistent with every one of you because I’ll treat every one of you differently. That’s the way it is. The harder a guy works, the better he performs, and the more he meets my guidelines, the more leeway he is going to have with me. By the same token, if a guy doesn’t work very hard or if he’s not a good player, he’s not going to be around for very long.”
That language might seem a little blunt for the corporate environment, but the concept rings true with great managers. Quite simply, they choose to invest more time with their best because their best are more deserving of it.
They know that human beings crave attention. Each individual might value different kinds of attention, but, to a person, we all hate to be ignored. If love is not the opposite of hate, then surely indifference is the opposite of both. If you spend the most time with your worst performers, then the message you are sending to your employees is that “the better your performance becomes, the less time and attention you will receive from me, your manager.” From any angle, this is an odd message.
So spend the most time with your top performers. Pay attention to them. Be fair to the right people.
One of the most powerful things you can do after reading is to go back and “rehire” your best people—that is, go back and tell them why they are so good. Tell them why they are one of the cornerstones of the team’s success. Choose a style that fits you, and don’t allow the conversation to slip into promises about promotion in the future—that’s a different conversation, for a different time. Simply tell them why their contribution is so valued today. Don’t assume your best know
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