Team Productivity: Striking a Balance Between Being a Boss and Friend

Sometimes it isn’t easy to treat all people the same, but keep this in mind at all times. The balancing act is somewhat like being a parent who has more than one child. You can’t pick favourites, and you need to be consistent.  

• Resist hiring anyone merely because of their sunny disposition. You want upbeat, yes, but you need to insist on qualifications.
• Be respectful to all of your employees and treat them how you would want to be treated. You wouldn't want to work at a company where your voice is never heard; your colleagues always rely on the opportunity to speak up.

Avoid disastrous leadership mistakes like:

• Publicly creating and bullying others.
• Failing to share and receive feedback.
• Discouraging creativity and innovation.
• Solving problems with a quick fix.
• Not properly delegating work to the right people.
• Resisting change.
• Micromanaging and assigning too much work to others.
• Failing to set goals for your organization.

There needs to be some distance between you and your employees. After all, you still need to have some sort of perception of hierarchy. Some understanding of authority ensures that everyone can get along just well without crossing the line.

The best way to stay within guidelines is by establishing ground rules. For example, you can spend time outside of work during happy hour, volunteering, or when attending industry events. But, you may have a policy that you do not attend the birthday party of your employee's children or that you never drink alcohol with them.

Don’t hide out in your office all day. Get out there and mingle with everyone. Have them lunch with them -- schedule one-on-ones with each team member. And, occasionally get your hands dirty and work in the trenches with them.

When you take the time to get to know your employees, you get to find out what their interests are and what makes them tick. You get to learn what hidden talents they possess. And, you may discover that you have more in interest then you previously thought.

Honesty is one of the best principles you can use to establish a healthy balance between caring for your employees and leading them professionally.

The closer you get to someone on a personal level, the harder it becomes to give them honest feedback as employees.

Build trust with each of your employees. For example, grant them autonomy and flexible schedules. Trust in your employee builds resilience -- shows you rely on them enough to work where, when, and however they prefer. As a result, this will create a more positive and productive culture.

If you don’t feel confident enough to strike a balance between being a boss and friend, seek assistance from someone else. For instance, you may want to have an unbiased party make important decisions, such as promoting or firing employees. Don't mention anything about your personal feeling and relationship to the third party -- and give them complete autonomy to determine the decision.

As the boss, you'll want to take care of your own well being as far as workplace connections. Do what's best for your emotional well being and your emotional intelligence so that you can stay at the top of your team productivity.