133. Stop Getting Caught Up In The Fairness Game

<p>Do you know the difference between equality and equity?</p><p>It's a distinction that could be at the heart of some of the issues you're facing at your center.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Equality is all about fairness. It's about treating each and every person exactly the same way.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>And while that may seem great in theory, in practice, it ultimately harms your center's culture and prevents you from maximizing your team's potential.</p><p><br></p><p>Let me give you a real-life example from a school leader who I'll call Lisa.</p><p><br></p><p>Lisa was leading a group of 30 teachers, and she was struggling with team accountability—specifically punctuality.</p><p><br></p><p>One of the teachers that was failing to show up on time was a single mom. Without any help at home, she couldn't find a way to get her kids to school <em>and</em> come to work on time.</p><p><br></p><p>Being the empathetic leader she is, Lisa could see that the issue was largely outside of the teacher's control. Plus, the teacher was otherwise very reliable and wonderful at her job.</p><p><br></p><p>So, to solve the problem, Lisa was willing to create a flexible schedule that would allow the teacher to stay late to make up for the missed time in the morning.</p><p><br></p><p>Except for one problem: <em>fairness</em>.</p><p><br></p><p>Even though she had come up with a reasonable solution, Lisa was afraid to implement it out of fear of being unfair to the other teachers.</p><p><br></p><p>The thing is, <em>life isn't fair</em>. Nor should it be!</p><p><br></p><p>Why? Because every single person is different. And by ignoring that fact, you risk denying what makes them unique and alienating them rather than lifting them up.</p><p><br></p><p>The solution, then, is to treat your team <em>equitably</em> rather than equally.</p><p><br></p><p>Unlike equality, which views everyone through the lens of sameness, equity is about seeing people's differences and providing them with what they need to succeed.</p><p><br></p><p>By recognizing t