Understanding Fair, Equal and Legal
Everyone wants to team up with a leader who is fair, equal and legal. Unfortunately, most people tend to use these three concepts synonymously, when in reality, they’re very different. To make matters worse, each individual can have a slightly different perception of what is fair, equal or legal. Mishandling these concepts can lead to dysfunction and resentment down the road.
Successful leaders know that these three concepts can be reconciled, but only with diligent efforts to create a shared understanding among team members. This understanding must be built over time with cooperation and flexibility from everyone involved, and it needs to be based on objective definitions, not subjective feelings.
Equality can often be quantified tangibly. Fairness is based on individual need, and can vary from situation to situation, and from person to person. Legality is based on established, unchangeable rules—it’s not what one person thinks the law says, it’s what is actually recorded in the law books.
Conflict often arises when team members’ perceptions don’t match the leader’s decisions regarding fairness, equality, and legality. Rather than letting conflicts escalate into arguments, the leader can use them as tools to refocus the team and clarify the shared values that have been established. Expectations that arise from these conversations should be based on factual definitions that are clearly understood by each team member.
Consistency is key as the team moves forward. Leaders must make it a point to intentionally revisit the concepts of fairness, equality and legality with your team from time to time. It’s good to ask for input and adjust the expectations when necessary, while making sure that everyone who is required to have an understanding also has a voice in the discussion. Leaders must be patient, understanding and humble when implementing new expectations related to fairness, equality and legality.
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