Are you consistent and fair with all your team? (96-1)
Even the most fair, consistent leaders will have situations when jealousy among their teammates changes the dynamic of their team. When a leader has been fair and consistent in their actions toward the team, they can generally restore order by fair and just application of the established practices, policies, and procedures. If the proper team is in place, the team order is restored because consistent behavior and fairness cannot easily be questioned without someone openly showing greed or selfishness that sets them apart as the culprit. However, add any inconsistent behavior on the part of the leader and the situation has the potential to be blown out of proportion and teammates will react in ways that destroy team unity. Read 2 Samuel 19:9-20 and 19:38-20:2.
Absalom, the king’s son who led the rebellion against David, was dead and it was obvious to all the tribes of Israel that David was still God’s choice as king and firmly in a position of power. The tribes that had supported Absalom knew they needed to do something to demonstrate loyalty to David or face potential retaliation for their rebellion so they determined to send a delegation to escort the king from exile back to the palace in Jerusalem. When David heard about the intentions of the rebellious tribes he sent word to leaders of Judah, his tribe, and suggested they join the others in escorting him back to the capitol.
When both groups showed up to escort David to Jerusalem, David did not demonstrate fair, equitable leadership by giving direction that dignified both team’s actions. Without directions from the king, jealousy dominated the emotions of both groups. It did not take long for a dispute to develop between the tribe of Judah and the other tribes that led to a second rebellion against David’s leadership. David had a great opportunity to heal the nation but his own inconsistent behavior as their leader led to more acts of violence and more death before order was restored to the nation.
Have you struggled with consistent behavior and fair and equal application of policies and rewards for your team? There are no shortcuts to solving this problem. Your attitude will need to change. The solution will take consistent, fair behavior over a period of time to win the teams confidence. In the short term you may lose the favor of some you have favored but over time you will gain the loyalty of the entire team. A leader may get the benefit of the doubt as they begin to establish consistent behavior but it is important to know the team is watching and one inconsistent act or one act of favoritism will create a setback that takes longer to solve the next time.
Effective leaders live by Proverbs 16:11 (TLB), “The Lord demands fairness in every business deal. He established the principle.”
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