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The Secret To Great Leadership? Stop Being Fair

Kevin Kruse
Photo courtesy of Bill Erickson

How can leaders truly tap the discretionary effort of their team members? How can they instill a sense of loyalty that translates into reduced turnover? What does conventional management get wrong?

Bill Erickson has studied great companies and great leaders for over 40 years. After 15 years as executive vice president of the Gallup organization, he cofounded Human Resource Innovations, which was later acquired by Kenexa. He is currently a founding principal of Workforce Science Associates, and his new book is No Pegs, No Holes: The Psychology of Elite Performance.

I recently interviewed Erickson for the LEADx Leadership Show, where he shared his greatest bits of wisdom for first-time managers and old hats alike. (The interview below has been edited for space and clarity.)

Kevin Kruse: What advice would you give to a first-time manager?

Bill Erickson: My recommendation for first-time managers is a little bit unconventional. It's unconventional because it's not always fair, and people put a lot of value on fair. I can summarize this recommendation in one word: individualize.

People always underestimate the differences in human beings. Take something as simple as recognition. A lot of people even deny that it works. They say, "I don't need that. That's not necessary." You know why that is? That's because they have never been recognized in a way that fits them. Everybody's different.

You know people who have the kind of ego that craves a crowd of people and a standing ovation. There are other people, if you do that to them, it's the most embarrassing thing you could do. Some people have their trophy wall. Others take that plaque and put it in the bottom drawer, never to see the light of day. For some people, the best recognition they've received was actually a note of appreciation that wasn't even to them. It was to the people they love the most.

Kruse: And managers should individualize other things beyond recognition?

Erickson: Everything is different, person by person, including how people define growth. Some people want to be the very best at one thing. Others need to learn something different all the time. For some people, it's about added responsibility. It's about earning your trust. People define growth in a million different ways, but what do managers assume? They assume “Everybody wants my job.” It's never true.

I once got to spend an hour one-on-one with John Wooden, arguably the best coach to ever live, and he said one thing that I will never forget. He said the worst form of discrimination is treating everyone the same. There's a genius to that.

When you treat everyone the same, you miss the bulls-eye at least 95% of the time, probably more. So my advice is to individualize. Talk to your people, but more importantly, listen to your people. Learn their hot buttons. Write them down. Take notes.

Kruse: Your book discusses how rules get in the way of psychological ownership…

Erickson: I've got to say about rules, I'm not an advocate.

But the first thing is—just so there's no misunderstanding—every company has to have absolutes. They have to have principles that they stand for that are unbending, unbreakable, and uncompromisable. Things like, "We tell the truth," "We put customers first," whatever they are. That's a necessity. And you could call those rules, but they're what you stand for.

And then there are times when you need a lot of rules, and I will tell you what those times are: When you find yourself in a situation where your people aren't very good and they don't care very much. Then you need a lot of rules, and you need a lot of enforcement and supervisors, and it gets very expensive.

You've got to remember, every time you make a rule, you take away a choice, and choices are the basis, the cornerstone of psychological ownership. I mean, until I have choices and decisions to make, it's not my job, it's a job. It is not my company, it's your company.

But once I have choices and decisions to make, that somehow magically translates. Now all of the sudden, it's mine. It's my company. It's my career. It's my job. Whether I own a share of stock or not, it's still my company at that point. So one of the definitions that I really like about outstanding management is the appropriate distribution of choices because that leads to big ownership, and if you've got people with the potential to contribute, who better to decide how to do their job?


When it comes to great leadership one size does not fit all. Truly get to know your team members as individuals, and trust them to make sound decisions.


