Treat everyone the same is terrible leadership advice

Many leaders strive for “fairness.” The intent is good. They want to avoid bias, give people the opportunity to succeed, and support all their team members. However, too often in that pursuit, they are given the advice to “treat everyone the same”—no favorites. On the surface, this sounds nice. It sounds fair. But this is one of the worst pieces of advice a leader could take. Not everyone needs the same treatment. In fact, the best leadership approach for each person depends on the situation. My perspective comes from more than a decade spent studying effective influence, helping organizations build leadership capability, and leading teams myself. Across all three experiences, the same pattern emerges: Leadership works best when it’s tailored to the situation. Here are four common scenarios leaders find themselves in and the best way to respond. 1. The Reluctant Starter Have you ever introduced someone to a development opportunity only to have them freeze up, question it, or avoid it altogether? This is not an uncommon scenario. Many people respond this way when faced with a challenge they’ve never tackled before. Under these circumstances the best thing a leader can do is provide…