Playing Favorites

This might just well be the most debatable topic I will have ever written. Is it good to play favorites in the office (or project team)?

Honestly, I would say YES. But before anyone starts firing back at me for being such a biased boss, let me explain myself further.

As human beings, we are setup to like and dislike things, people, situations, and sorts of whatever. We cannot help it. We are naturally inclined to be biased on anything. The same goes with people we work with. People we normally like normally get the better of us. Hence, it just goes to show that a person I like working with is naturally my favorite.

The whole concept of favoritism however, should not be mixed with unfair work practices. As a manager, it is your obligation to provide equal opportunity to all your employees. Each of your employees should be given avenues to grow their careers and develop professionally. The operative term there is opportunity. It is up to your employees to perform, and their performance should be recognizd properly. If let's say I have two guys, one I like more than the other, yet the other one performs better, I cannot withhold any credit or accolade to him in favor of that which i like more. However, with performance being equal, I would naturally be swayed to the guy I like more. There is a thin line that separates favoritism from unfairness and this should never be crossed.

You might then ask, do i have my favorites? Yes of course. I consider my favorite as my protege. Not necessarily the person that will succeed me later on (that's based on performance), but the person that I will pass on my skills, knowledge, and my realm of influence. Why? Because I like my protege... and no one can contest that.