REALity Question: Can we all just be friends?

Today’s blog post is a continuation of our REALity Questions series. The purpose of this series is to give leaders the opportunity to discuss real, practical challenges that arise in the workplace.

The “right” answer to today’s REALity Question is a hotly debated one in many workplaces and one that I get asked quite often.

As a leader, is it ok to be friends with the people I lead?

First, I don’t think there is anything wrong with being friends with your teammates. Now, it needs to be a respectful kind of friendship that won’t take advantage of the situation. If your “friend” expects favors, or if your “friend” gets favors that other subordinates don’t, then you’ve compromised your leadership. (more…)