Managers as friends? | Rehan | Karandaaz

I see a lot of new Pakistani managers confusing being friendly with being friends with their teams. Being friends is conceived as a relationship built on jokes, humor and casualness. It leads to expectations that friendship is more important than performance. Being friendly, on the other hand, means being polite and caring towards the other-self, but being able to maintain a meaningful relationship based on deep respect and trust. One where you can give and take feedback.

Starting by being friends with your team, lets you be popular with your team quickly thus a lot of managers wrongly choose this way to inspire. If you really want to inspire, inspire them with your execution, with your vision, with your deep caring for their development. It will lead to a relationship which will be more robust, durable and respectful.

Rehan Akhtar

Director Digital Financial Services, Karandaaz Pakistan