By Chad Kearns
This edition of Sparked was published and delivered on February 13, 2026.
We deliver Sparked every other week, written for leaders who are ready to get intentional about bringing their team together, building engagement, earning buy-in, and driving motivation to build high-performing teams that drive remarkable results.
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Spark your Team by Eliminating Double Standards
I’m feeling particularly connected to the power of sport this week. After all, my Seahawks are World Champions again :)
I’ll keep the sports analogies to a minimum here, but there is a common theme that connects to a handful of recent coaching calls I’ve had with leaders surrounding what I evaluate as special treatment for a “star player” and the impact it has on the culture they strive to build.
In sports, it’s not uncommon for a star player to be held to a different standard than the rest of the players on a team.
For example, they may be able to get away with behaving in a way that would be deemed unacceptable if they were an average player. They show up late. They speak poorly to a teammate. They selfishly take over and go at it themselves.
Star players operate in a world where their standards (or expectations) are different from those around them.
And coaches of star players sometimes turn a blind eye without addressing or correcting a known issue because they don’t want to create friction with a top performer.
Those double standards lent to star players have the ability to rip teams apart.
This happens every day at work for us mere mortals who don’t have world class athletism.
And unfortunately, many leaders struggle to hold their “star players” to the same standard they expect from everyone else.
Star players aren’t just top performers.
They come in the form of long-tenured team members.
They may be well-liked team members.
Sometimes they are referred to as “the glue” of an organization, but don’t pull their weight.
Star players under this lens encompass anyone who gets a consistent pass on meeting the core expectations of an organization.
Looking for ways to fire up your team members and build a high-performing team?
Eliminate the double standards that exist.
Why Eliminating Double Standards Builds Engagement
Engagement grows in working environments when team members feel like everyone is held to the same standard regardless of their ability to hit numbers, tenure, relationships, seniority, etc., etc.
Double standards quietly drain belief and motivation.
Team members see it and feel it when consistent exceptions are missed or when standards are ignored without repercussion, especially by senior leaders and top contributors.
When leaders eliminate the double standards that exist, they drive further commitment from the people who consistently show up in the right way at the right time. Consistency around the requirement to meet expectations also strengthens psychological safety.
When expectations are clear and applied evenly, trust grows. They can speak up, collaborate, and challenge ideas without worrying about how status or favoritism will dictate outcomes. That predictability reduces anxiety and allows teams to focus on meaningful work, relationships, and outcomes.
Engagement, motivation, and performance from individual team members and collective teams build when leadership holds every person to the same set of core standards, regardless of their outcomes, tenure, seniority, or relationships.
Start Taking Action to Eliminate Double Standards
Ready to drive change? Here’s how to take action on eliminating double standards
- Exemplify the Standards you Expect from Others:Leaders go first. If you are not able to model and exemplify the standards you expect from others, others aren’t going to feel the need to meet them either. It starts with you.
- Make your List:I’m willing to bet that you can identify a handful of double standards that exist in the organization you lead. Some might be obvious. Others, more subtle. Clarity on where to move forward starts with awareness on where the issues exist. Grab a trusted teammate in the organization, bring them in to shine a light on any blind spots you might have. Then, prioritize. It’s unlikely you’ll be able to correct everything at once.
- Consider the Impact:Take a moment after you’ve identified an initial list to consider the impact those double standards may have on team members around you. Oftentimes, we fail to stop and take note of the impact that these double standards have on the organization. Once we see and realize it, moving forward to correct them is easier.
- Address Misalignment Directly:Find your opportunity for a direct, clear, and kind conversation. Share your observation. Share what you’ve tolerated. Share what you’re no longer willing to tolerate. Share the standard. Share your care in supporting a team member as they work to meet the standard.
- Coach Up or Out:When expectations are consistently missed, leaders have the opportunity to ignore it, coach it until follow-through is consistent, or remove a team member. Ignoring it is what developed the double standard. Commit to skill improvement or consider removing someone from the team. Hope doesn’t help the problem go away. Action does.
Further Exploration on Eliminating Double Standards
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