Can you be friends with your boss?
Introduction:
This journal is written by Karen Dillon, a former editor of Harvard Business Review. In this journal the author states the perks and the fallouts of being friends with one’s boss. Here, Karen have shared her views about how one should identify whether friendship with one’s boss is a good thing or not depending on five factors. To justify her views, she have included the thoughts, sayings and views of other experts.
Analysis of the journal:
Being friends with your boss sounds appealing. But can being friends with your boss have only the positives without any negatives? Here, in this journal article, the author states five factors, in a question form, through which one can identify if the friendship between you and your boss is good or just too risky.
The first question being if you were friends before you became the subordinate? Ben Dattner, an organizational psychologist, says that it is easier when your boss turns out to be your friend rather than a friend of yours turns out to be your boss. This relationship could take a downturn when one friend has to follow the orders of the other. To avoid that both party should have self-awareness and put effort to maintain some degree of role clarity.
The genuinity of your friendship is the second factor. If the reason behind you getting close to your boss is only to advance in your career then that friendship could be disastrous. As stated by Dattner, one should not make special effort beyond what you do with any other coworker because that will take on a Machiavellianism tinge.
Willingness to talk with your boss about boundaries so that the friendship/boss line doesn’t get blurred is the third factor. The things you normally share with friends about your work, personal life or complaints about your colleagues cannot be vented out to your boss. The boundaries when you are in your friend mode and employer-employee mode should be clear. Keep it as uncomplicated as...
