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AMBIT VITIN

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impress.ai • 1m

"So they gave you a team. Now what?" Chapter 5: The Manager's Barber Paradox In this chapter, I would like to talk about the moment a manager first hears the word “favouritism” being murmured in the corridors ...gently, indirectly, and almost always when you start giving bigger responsibilities to someone who has consistently performed. I want to relate this to Bertrand Russell’s Barber Paradox. The paradox goes like this: There is a barber who shaves everyone who does not shave himself. The question is...who shaves the barber? No matter how you try to answer, the logic folds into itself. It becomes a loop with no clean resolution. Managing a team can feel the same. If you give more responsibility to the person who performs well, someone assumes you have a favourite. If you distribute all opportunities evenly to avoid the noise, the top performer stops pushing and the team’s performance dilutes. Whichever way you go, someone will find the contradiction. So instead of trying to “fix” the perception, I focused on something else: clarity. For every opportunity given, I ensured the work and impact were visible. Not dramatic appreciation. Not “He’s proactive” or “She takes ownership.” Just clear, objective documentation of what was done and what changed because of it. The story was no longer in my head... Instead, it was out in the open. I also made sure there were backups. Not because I wanted to replace the strong performer, but because a team becomes healthier when success is not concentrated but transferable. And did everyone understand this shift? No. But some did. And with teams, sometimes “some” is enough. The paradox doesn’t disappear. You just keep going. The team adjusts and the story finds its balance.

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