What to do when you become your friend's boss - especially when you know a little too much about each other

Benjamin Laker, Charmi Patel, Ashish Malik, Pawan Budhwar

Research output: Contribution to specialist publicationArticle

Abstract

With the amount of time we spend with our coworkers, it’s understandable that we develop strong friendships with some of them.

Friendships can get tricky when the power dynamic changes and one person in the friendship becomes the boss.
Research shows that 90% of first-time managers have struggled to navigate the boundaries between being a boss and a friend, and more than 70% have lost friendships since becoming a manager.
To effectively manage the transition you should: 1) Acknowledge the power shift; 2) Accept your new role; 3) Be consistent and fair with your team members; 4) Don’t let emotions get in the way of tough decisions; 5) Manage how much you share on social media.
Original languageEnglish
Specialist publicationHarvard Business Review
PublisherHarvard Business Review Press
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2022

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