3 Ways to Navigate the Friend-to-Boss Transition

When a friend becomes your boss—or you become theirs—it can create a challenging dynamic for many professionals. While conventional wisdom might suggest keeping friendships and work separate, recent research suggests otherwise. In her book The Business of Friendship, Shasta Nelson highlights how workplace friendships enhance engagement, trust and productivity. Employees with workplace friends demonstrate stronger engagement, and those with a best friend at work are seven times more likely to be fully engaged. Higher engagement leads to increased receptivity to feedback, more productive brainstorming and improved business outcomes.

I’ve certainly benefitted from workplace friendships. One friend I worked closely with often helped me gain perspective when I felt like I didn’t get the needed buy-in or support during a meeting. As my colleague in the C-suite, I could ask for her trusted perspective on how she saw the same situation.

However, when friendship is impacted by your company’s organizational chart, challenges may pop up. Three primary concerns I’ve encountered center around fairness, feedback delivery and the future of the friendship itself. The key to managing this transition from buddy to boss lies in early, proactive communication. Here are three ways to navigate this transition successfully.