The Effective Manager

by Mark Horstman

You Can Be Friendly with Your Directs Hopefully, this is the gigantic loophole so many managers want it to be. You cannot be friends with your directs, but yes you can be friendly with them. You might think that the two mean the same thing, but there is a clear difference. The difference lies in what we've already talked about. Being friendly with your directs is simply a set of behaviors. Smiling, asking about their free time and families, being polite, starting conversations with small talk, sharing about your own life, encouraging them to join you for lunch, accepting lunch invitations, and so on—all of these are friendly behaviors. They are appreciated, respected, and often admired by those who struggle to get along well and easily with others.