The Secret To Becoming the Best Leader | The Team Building Directory

In many organisations, women are paid less than men to do equivalent work.

Whilst business owners do this to take more profits from the company, they may be missing out on the impact they’re really having by treating their staff unfairly.

Former investment banker Marco Alvera tells the story of his experience within an Italian Oil Company in an eye-opening ted talk. He says that the oil company seemed ‘soft’ on their staff, assuring they had jobs for life, fixed salaries, and little to no consequences when they failed a project.

You may be thinking, “Surely this company would fail” ?

But rather than finding this, the outcome was completely different to what he expected. He found his team of 3000 to be dedicated, loyal, willing to take risks and considerably less stressed than his team in the investment bank.

Commitment to fairness drives:

Higher levels of engagement
Honest and open communication
Constant motivation
Low stress

Alvera speaks about how experiencing unfair treatment sparks a chemical reaction that is similar to how we feel when we experience physical pain.

An impolite colleague, biased boss or greedy supplier becomes an enemy in our subconscious.

In contrast, when we have been treated fairly our trust increases and we are often more motivated and time is saved. Our own behaviour becomes more generous, considerate and fair.

It could be argued that in an organisation where unfairness is tolerated, positive and desirable behaviours will never be sustained.

If we aim to remove unfairness and promote fairness, the culture of a team or organisation can change for the better.

Here are some approaches to try within your team:

Valuing effort not the outcome
Eliminating politics
Filtering out unfairness
Being aware of own bias
Listening to everyone – Radical transparency
Reconsider having a hierarchy (Equal wage and discipline)
Always seek the truth
Encourage mistakes
Give away resources if it feels right, without seeking a quantifiable return on investment
Allow these behaviours to spread naturally throughout the organisation

Marco Alvera believes that if you embrace these changes, you will:

Create outstanding teamwork
Motivate individuals to make more significant contributions
Increase innovation
Retain great talent
Reduce stress

And unlike a bonus payment, the effect is constant

Fairness is the Most Important Leadership Quality

An impolite colleague, biased boss or greedy supplier becomes an enemy in our subconscious.

If we aim to remove unfairness and promote fairness, the culture of a team or organisation can change for the better.

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