By Oluwole Dada
Leading a team comes with the complexities of people not liking you. The reasons for this, many times, are unjustified and unfounded. However, the true test of leadership character lies not in avoiding these critics, but in how fairly you treat them despite their opposition. Authentic leaders must not be intimidated by those who dislike them, but they must be fair to them. This principle might sound counterintuitive, but it forms the backbone of authentic leadership. You may even have people who will betray you, but one virtue must be consistent and that is fairness. A leader who is fair to his team members, including those who love and hate him, will gain the trust of everyone.
The case of Satya Nadella’s transformation of Microsoft’s culture when he became CEO in 2014 comes to mind. He inherited a company known for its competitive, cutthroat internal environment where backstabbing and political maneuvering were commonplace. Many employees and even some board members were skeptical of his collaborative approach. Instead of retaliating against critics or playing favorites with supporters, Nadella consistently applied his philosophy of empathy and inclusion across all levels. He treated skeptics with the same respect as his advocates, listening to their concerns and giving them equal opportunities to contribute. This fair treatment gradually won over even his harshest internal critics, leading to Microsoft’s remarkable cultural and financial turnaround.
Reed Hastings, Netflix’s co-founder and former CEO, exemplified this principle of fairness during the company’s tumultuous transition from DVD-by-mail to streaming. When he announced the controversial decision to split Netflix into two services in 2011, there was massive customer backlash and internal dissent. Hastings didn’t punish employees who voiced disagreement or criticism. Instead, he evaluated all team members based on performance and contribution rather than their stance on company decisions. Even those who publicly disagreed with the strategy were treated fairly in terms of career development, compensation, and opportunities. This approach preserved talent and eventually helped Netflix emerge stronger, though it required Hastings to endure significant personal criticism.
Fairness to your critics can lead to their conversion. This transformation doesn’t happen overnight, but it represents one of leadership’s most powerful tools for building cohesive teams. When Oprah Winfrey took control of her media empire, she faced significant skepticism from industry veterans who questioned her business acumen and leadership capabilities. Rather than surrounding herself only with supporters, she made a point of engaging constructively with critics and skeptics within her organization. She gave equal consideration to ideas from all team members, regardless of their initial opinion of her leadership. Her fair treatment of doubters, combined with transparent communication about her vision, gradually converted many skeptics into loyal advocates. This approach helped build the diverse, high-performing team that supported her media empire’s expansion across multiple platforms.
Fairness is the act of giving the same treatment to team members irrespective of their attitude towards you. This doesn’t mean treating everyone identically but rather ensuring that personal feelings don’t influence professional decisions about opportunities, recognition, resources, or consequences. You need to be emotionally aware before you can show fairness. Fairness is not for the faint hearted. This emotional awareness requires leaders to separate their personal feelings from their professional responsibilities, a skill that demands constant self-reflection and discipline. Jacinda Ardern, former Prime Minister of New Zealand faced harsh criticism from political opponents and even members of her own party. Instead of retaliating or showing favoritism, she consistently applied the same standards of respect and consideration to all stakeholders. She included opposition voices in decision-making processes and treated critics’ concerns with genuine consideration.
Leaders must realize that being fair to their team members does not necessarily mean they will be fair to them. It is one of the prices leaders pay. The fact that you see a snake and you don’t kill it does not mean it won’t strike back at you. This metaphor captures a crucial leadership truth that fair treatment doesn’t guarantee reciprocal fairness, but it serves a larger strategic purpose. Developing the capacity for fair leadership requires practical strategies that can be implemented immediately. Start by establishing clear, written criteria for all major decisions affecting team members. Create systems that ensure equal access to information, opportunities, and resources. Implement regular feedback mechanisms that allow all voices to be heard, not just supportive ones.
Fairness in leadership isn’t just about moral correctness; it’s about building sustainable, high-performing teams. When team members see that their leader treats everyone fairly, regardless of personal relationships or past conflicts, they develop trust in the system itself. This trust becomes the foundation for innovation, collaboration, and resilience during challenging times.
Oluwole Dada is the General Manager at SecureID Limited, Africa’s largest smart card manufacturing plant in Lagos, Nigeria.
