REALity Question: Can You Be Good at Leading if You’re Bad at Relationships?

On Monday I talked about how important it is for leaders to develop relationships with the people they lead. The next day a reader sent me a great REALity Question on the subject.

“If I’m not good at building relationships, can I still be a good leader?”

I have to bite my tongue so I don’t answer this question too quickly because my gut response is, “No.”

But that answer is way too black and white. (more…)

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…)