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Hello, this does not apply to me but I'd like to say my 2 cent regardless: Your boss cannot be your friend (or vice versa). It simply does not work out well, y

Hello, this does not apply to me but I'd like to say my 2 cent regardless: Your boss cannot be your friend (or vice versa). It simply does not work out well, you can't be a leader while being friends with your followers, so I expect everyone who worked for their friends will most likely describe it as a miserable experience.

kcplate 3y ago
It’s the chicken or the egg kind of problem. I think it’s easier to become friends with a boss. Less easy for a friend to become your boss.
- Aeolun 3y ago
  I think it’s perfectly possible to be friends with someone I do not respect professionally. But it would be impossible to have such a person be my boss.
mindwok 3y ago
I want to add my 2 cents also and say this isn't a universal truth. I've definitely had bosses who have become friends, even whilst working together. Sometimes it feels that authority and being close in a friendly way are mutually exclusive, but I don't think they are. Good leaders maintain boundaries, set clear expectations, and don't violate them. You can do that whilst being friends, but it's not easy.
- sokoloff 3y ago
  I hired a close friend as a direct report. It worked well, because we could both compartmentalize the different relationships at difficult moments, but could leverage the trust and ease of communication granted by a long relationship most of the time. A decade passed and same guy is a direct report again. So far, it’s going well again. I’ve been fortunate to never face a round of budget cuts while a close friend was reporting to me. That would be difficult to navigate, regardless of the outcome.
- coffeebeqn 3y ago
  Me too- my last manager is still my friend after leaving and there was only a little bit of a change after he left the company. I think we both valued our friendship over the company though
s1artibartfast 3y ago
I would say that the best bosses I have ever had were also close friends. This ultimately comes down to the characteristics you seek in friends, friendships, and work.

kcplate 3y ago

It’s the chicken or the egg kind of problem. I think it’s easier to become friends with a boss. Less easy for a friend to become your boss.

Aeolun 3y ago
I think it’s perfectly possible to be friends with someone I do not respect professionally. But it would be impossible to have such a person be my boss.

mindwok 3y ago

I want to add my 2 cents also and say this isn't a universal truth. I've definitely had bosses who have become friends, even whilst working together. Sometimes it feels that authority and being close in a friendly way are mutually exclusive, but I don't think they are. Good leaders maintain boundaries, set clear expectations, and don't violate them. You can do that whilst being friends, but it's not easy.

sokoloff 3y ago
I hired a close friend as a direct report. It worked well, because we could both compartmentalize the different relationships at difficult moments, but could leverage the trust and ease of communication granted by a long relationship most of the time. A decade passed and same guy is a direct report again. So far, it’s going well again. I’ve been fortunate to never face a round of budget cuts while a close friend was reporting to me. That would be difficult to navigate, regardless of the outcome.
coffeebeqn 3y ago
Me too- my last manager is still my friend after leaving and there was only a little bit of a change after he left the company. I think we both valued our friendship over the company though

s1artibartfast 3y ago

I would say that the best bosses I have ever had were also close friends. This ultimately comes down to the characteristics you seek in friends, friendships, and work.