A Friendly Work Arrangement
A friend called one day and asked if I was interested in working for him. Sound familiar? We are often excited about work opportunities we find and want to get our friends involved as well. Studies have shown that when friends work together at a company, their work is more efficient and better. However, working for a friend is an entirely different dynamic than working with a friend. When you friend is also your boss, it adds a whole different dynamic to your relationship. To help you decide if it is worth working for a friend, here is some advice.
First, if your relationship with your friend isn't a strong one, don't do it. If your friend is your boss he or she is facing pressures and stress that can have a significant impact on your relationship. Staying friends rather than just being in business together takes more effort. Having your friend as your authority figure at work can add a dimension of respect into your relationship, but it can also chafe to have a friend tell you what to do. A strong relationship between friends can overcome obstacles of a boss/friend relationship, but a friendship that is just so-so will crumble under the pressure.
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Can you compartmentalize? If you can't, you're in for a rough road if you are working for a friend. Working for a friend is like having two completely separate relationships. One is a friendship and one is a business relationship. If you can't keep business strictly business you're going to be hurt personally. One part of being a boss is evaluating your employees' performance. For some people, criticism is easier to take from a boss than from a friend whereas with others it is exactly the opposite. When you are taking criticism from both a boss and a friend it makes matters difficult. What happens when your friend evaluates your performance and as your boss decides it is not up to par and he or she has to demote or fire you? If you can't compartmentalize being demoted or fired by your boss and not your friend you may end the relationship altogether.
Keeping your business relationship strictly business is important to make a relationship succeed with your friend as your boss. You absolutely cannot use your friendship as a means to propel yourself forward in the business. Your friendship cannot shield you from making stupid business decisions or from lack of skill or knowledge. When layoffs happen and you're the weakest link, your friend as your boss would and should not protect you. If you think you might have a weakness of using your friendship as a shield or a stepping-stone, think twice about going to work for a friend.
Your boss is only human and as your friend he or she will make mistakes or business decisions that aren't in line with your ethics and values. Sometimes seeing them in a less than perfect business light will reveal things about them that you really didn't want to know that could potentially end the relationship. If you have a real love for your friend, you may be able to overcome this obstacle and have a successful work and personal relationship. You have to evaluate yourself critically before you decide to go to work for a friend. Can you forgive your friend as a friend for bad business decisions? Can you keep business as business and your friendship separate? Will having your friend as your boss put too much strain on the relationship? What would your reaction be if your friend fired you? Answer all of these questions first before you say yes or no to a work opportunity.
