Avoid the Perception of Playing Favorites

The surest way to alienate team members is to play favorites. It doesn’t even matter if you are doing it on purpose or not. Often times you are doing it and not even realizing it. The easiest way to end up appearing to be favoring team members is by giving them all the choice/critical assignments, or asking for their opinion more often than others. It is easy to fall into the trap of frequently going to the person that is most likely to get the job done or to provide you with the most valuable input. You are even more susceptible to doing this when deadlines are tight or mistakes cannot afford to be made.

It’s important to watch for this behavior. The other team members will often withdrawal because they do not feel that they are valued or are viewed as important to the team. It will have the greatest effect on the middle of the road performers. They are the people that have potential, but need nurturing. They need to feel engaged and interested. If they feel that they can’t get the good assignments or make a contribution they will look for other places where they can, or may just give plain up.

Alternatively, you don’t want to fall into the trap of giving the squeaky wheel all the grease. It is important to pay attention to the top performers, but it is all about balance. You need to spread out the attention and the workload. Try to find a niche for all team members. Make sure to spend enough personal time with each team member and remember that everyone has something positive to contribute. To bring out the best in all team members, do your best to maintain an environment where everyone wants to give their best.