"In a small organization how do I manage staff and provide effective leadership with my staff that have turned into friends?"
WHY FRIENDSHIP AT WORK?
The intersection of management and friendship can be a tricky one. What makes it tricky for you? Some concerns I have heard in conversations with leaders are things like:
- I’m afraid to hurt the feelings of my friend if I have to confront something.
- What if I believe I am supposed to move on? How would I tell my friends?
- What if some of the team members get along and others don’t? Isn’t it better to just keep it professional and avoid clicks?
I’ve also heard some of the benefits:
- There is this synergy that really has helped us achieve a whole new level of work
- I look forward to work everyday because of the great people I get to do this with
- Friendship at work made it possible for me to walk through tough stuff and still do my job
You are not alone on being torn between the pros and cons of this one. Historically, leaders have viewed friendship at work as detrimental to productivity.
People lingering at lunch break or stopping by workstations to chat or hanging out by the water cooler. In that moment, they aren’t working so it seems that productivity would be down, right?
Did you know that Gallup research is showing that friendship actually improves productivity? Shocker, right? Time spent doing actual work is not the only measure of productivity. Let’s add effort to that equation. You can manage someone’s time by requiring a schedule or a timesheet and think it equals productivity, but it doesn’t. Time is a factor, and energy or effort is what can make that time actually productive.
The Multiplier Effect: Time X Effort = Productivity
WHAT IS FRIENDSHIP?
Think about friendship and what we mean when we say friends at work.
Friendship is important; but it doesn’t mean doing life with everyone. There’s different layers of friendship. Gallup shared with us that people who have a friend at work report:
- A sense of belonging, a close bond
- Someone who “has your back” – someone who looks out for you
I’ve seen the benefits of friendship at work in my own life and in others. Instead of the hard and fast boundaries of work vs. home, it’s living in the tension between the two.
But, what if friendship goes all wrong and negatively impacts the work of the team?
HOW CAN YOU ADDRESS THE DRAWBACKS?
I’ve heard concerns and you can’t just ignore them >> because they won’t go away on their own. I’ll throw a few there that I hear often.
LINKS TO CHECK OUT:
- Send your question HERE – in writing or by recording
- Why We Need Friends At Work
- The Tenth Element of Great Managing
- More of Annie’s Story: Community of Healers
- SIGN UP: Bringing Out Your Best Blog Series
- Learn more about Annie
