If you follow sports closely, you will occasionally hear talk about a players council. This is a group of players who are considered leaders who can address team issues directly with the coach. In college, this council may be made up of senior athletes. In professional sports, these are usually made up of veteran players. The idea is that the coach can get information from the team with some degree of safety.
For example, the coach may need to discipline a player for a team infraction. He may ask the players council to give him suggestions or gather feedback on if a certain punishment is fair and acceptable. In other cases, the council may tell a coach about certain issues or address concerns without an individual having to do it.
These aren’t common in business, but maybe they should be. One council I suggest a manager consider is a Fairness Council.
What is a Fairness Council
As any manager will tell you, treating individuals fairly is a challenge. A manager has biases, just like anyone else, and has a tendency to be stricter some days and less strict on others. The manager needs others to provide feedback on just how fair her behaviors are in reality.
The fairness council acts in this capacity. This is a group of people - ideally 3 to 5, depending on the team size - who can go to the manager if someone thinks that the manager acted unfairly. Because this group tends to be disinterested observers, it can act as a way to judge impartially.
Who Should be on a Fairness Council
A few character traits are helpful when deciding who to include. Not every member needs all these traits, but the team as a whole should have them.
Experience - someone who has seen good and bad and can use past experiences to make sound judgement.
Honesty - the feedback will not always be good, so having someone who can be honest and raise difficult issues is critical.
Impartiality - having someone who is not impacted by things or can put aside personal feelings will help have an honest dialogue.
Integrity - both the team and the manager have to know that the individual has integrity and the best interests of the team in mind.
A Fairness Council Should be Optional
Only set up the council if the team agrees that it is a good idea. You can’t force anyone to be on the council or even to have a council at all.
If you ask people to be on the council, they have to have the option to say no with no repercussions. If you ask the team if they want a fairness council, they have to be able to say no as well.
Forcing or requiring anything will destroy any of the good intentions of the council.
Council Guidelines
Once you decide to have a council, work with the initial members to set guidelines. How often will you meet with them, are there specific ways you want to be informed of issues, how will they keep topics and people confidential, etc.
Everyone has to agree to the rules and must adhere to them.
Conclusion
The fairness council can be an incredible asset to a manager. It shows that you are open to feedback from the team, and it provides a confidential and psychologically safe way to address issues.
Yet, keep in mind, that this can only work if all involved agree 100%. You can’t force this or make it work if there is hesitancy on the part of the team.
Ideally, how many people would be on this type of council? I am working with startups that have people that wear multiple hats, spanning multiple departments. These individuals are quick to suggest process improvements to leadership, but are less inclined to call out when a leader or manager is unfair and instead opt to focus where they feel the most impact.