Fairness

“Nothing is fair in this world. You might as well get that straight right now.”

Sue Monk Kidd

The topic for this week’s discussion is “fairness”.  I’m not speaking about what you get dished out, as life can be unkind and unfair at times, but how YOU treat others in this world.  Are you a person of fairness or do you treat everyone different depending on your relationship or what you want from others?

I like to treat people in the same manner that I would expect to be treated, regardless of who they are or what I can get from the relationship. If I do have a bad day (and let’s face it, we all do from time to time), I need to repair the damage that this causes to the other person.

There are always power dynamics at play, someone may be more senior in a work environment, however – this is not always reflected in the relationship.  Often, we get more that what we expect, IF we treat people with kindness and respect than with authority.

Think back to various relationships in your life, especially office dynamics.  Can you recall a previous staff member who was snappy and barked their orders out.  How did you respond to them?  Alternatively, recall another staff member who asked nicely and always thanked you for the work.  Which person got the work quicker and how did you feel when you were providing the information to them? 

The same with a sports coach, the one who encourages the player to bring their best game, often gets better results – regardless of the score.

All relationships are transactional, and how we treat the other person is long remembered, EVEN if we have forgotten.  How would you like to be remembered?