e060 Intolerable Bosses - Slaying Favoritism

Favouritism is a widespread practice that usually has a significantly negative impact, whether you’re a victim or the favourite. Georgetown University’s School of Business found that 92% of senior business executives believe that favouritism is a contributing factor in most employee promotions, but only 25% of the polled executives admitted to practicing favouritism themselves. So there is a problem, but most people won’t admit that they are part of it.


This sounds all too familiar. A small group of employees get close to the boss, either by choice or by being Volun-Told for the role. This small subset of the team are chosen to handle the better, more senior, higher visibility projects. Obviously this makes others who are equally or more qualified feel as if the boss is not playing fair. Favouritism can be fairly benign in many cases, but it can be a lot more serious in other circumstances, developing into a hostile, toxic environment for those who are left out in the cold. 


Surprisingly, favouritism has fairly honest roots. We’ve all been taught that we should all have preferences. But when the boss gives a friend the office with the best view based on no observable criteria, and this has become a noticeable trend, well now they have crossed into the realm of favouritism. 


When favours are presented without transparency, other suffer. This is often perceived as an abuse of power by the boss. Also, by not treating everyone equally, a manager is fostering a sense of resentment and separation that can de-motivate employees and damage team unity, so the boss is not allowing the team or company to grow. There is a very real risk that the organization will lose good people, so the biggest loser is often the organization itself. 


So what can people do if they find that they are working for a boss that plays favourites? During this episode, the Leadership Brothers present 7 tactics to survive favouritism:


    1. Determine if it really is favouritism
    2. Speak Up (the right way)
    3. Just Say No (again, there's a right way to do this)
    4. Stay Professional
    5. Maintain Trust
    6. Resist Resentment
    7. Be “Calmfident”


Don’t just settle for reading these 7 points, listen to the episode where we elaborate on each tip so you get all the empowering details! And keep in mind that if it is really bad we are here to help. Reach out to us and know that everything that we talk about will be kept absolutely confidential. 


LINKS
Terry Lipovski’s Email
Ubiquity Coaching Website
Pat Lipovski’s Email
Envision Group Website


NEXT WEEK’S SHOW
Inspiring Leaders returns with Steve Day, the Former Joint Task Force 2 Commander for Counter Terrorism and Special Operations. Steve joins us to talk about “The Real Threat”, which will surprise you, guaranteed. Trust us, you do NOT want to miss this episode