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Hello, this does not apply to me but I'd like to say my 2 cent regardless: Your boss cannot be your friend (or vice versa). It simply does not work out well, you can't be a leader while being friends with your followers, so I expect everyone who worked for their friends will most likely describe it as a miserable experience.
I also repeated my mistake (sort of) by investing in a friend's small business. When the business wasn't successful and we didn't see eye to eye on the path forward that totally killed our friendship.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’ve hired several friends as employees. It works fine if both of you are able to separate work from friendship. Admittedly not everyone can do this, but it worked out in my situation.
It probably did, you know your friends and I don’t, but you don’t know that it worked out. You really have no way of knowing if your friends still think of you the same post-employment even if you’re still acquainted.
IMO this is all about expectations. If you never lied to your friend about your actual experience and skillset and your friend offers reasonable compensation then it's win win situation. Working on a team of like-minded people is amazing.
It will also probably be hard for your friend to deliver tough feedback to you, so you may have to work extra hard to solicit real feedback.
Hello, this does not apply to me but I'd like to say my 2 cent regardless: Your boss cannot be your friend (or vice versa). It simply does not work out well, you can't be a leader while being friends with your followers, so I expect everyone who worked for their friends will most likely describe it as a miserable experience.
Hello, this does not apply to me but I'd like to say my 2 cent regardless: Your boss cannot be your friend (or vice versa). It simply does not work out well, you can't be a leader while being friends with your followers, so I expect everyone who worked for their friends will most likely describe it as a miserable experience.
I want to add my 2 cents also and say this isn't a universal truth. I've definitely had bosses who have become friends, even whilst working together. Sometimes it feels that authority and being close in a friendly way are mutually exclusive, but I don't think they are. Good leaders maintain boundaries, set clear expectations, and don't violate them. You can do that whilst being friends, but it's not easy.
A decade passed and same guy is a direct report again. So far, it’s going well again.
I’ve been fortunate to never face a round of budget cuts while a close friend was reporting to me. That would be difficult to navigate, regardless of the outcome.