Treat everyone the same is terrible leadership advice

Many leaders strive for “fairness.” The intent is good. They want to avoid bias, give people the opportunity to succeed, and support all their team members. However, too often in that pursuit, they are given the advice to “treat everyone the same”—no favorites. On the surface, this sounds nice. It sounds fair. But this is one of the worst pieces of advice a leader could take. Not everyone needs the same treatment. In fact, the best leadership approach for each person depends on the situation....