New To Being A Boss? 4 Tips To Bond Without Losing Respect

As a freshly minted boss, being a friendly leader without compromising your authority is a difficult balance to maintain. On one hand, you want to present yourself as someone approachable and open so your employees feel free to talk to you about challenges at work or in their personal life. On the other hand, you want to avoid having employees get too comfortable with you to the point of disrespecting you

While maintaining your authority as a boss is important, building a relationship with those you lead is also crucial. These 4 tips can help you create the necessary bonds without losing the respect of your coworkers.

Be relatable

Presenting yourself as someone cold and aloof will only cause people to resent you. Showing them your “human side” is one way to counteract that and you can achieve it by taking part in workplace social events such as office parties.

Such events are ideal to share your interests in a relaxed setting away from the seriousness of work. Even asking simple questions like how your employees are doing goes a long way. These events also help others see you as someone relatable they can identify with and have an open conversation with. As a precaution, don’t overshare personal stuff about yourself as this might make them too comfortable around you and more inclined to disrespect you.

Take an interest in others

When you get the opportunity to chat with others in a social setting, taking an interest in what they have to say is a good way to help you bond with them. That way, you’ll learn their personal interests and understand them better, as well as what drives their work ethic

What you learn about them will give you insight into their motivations at work as well. It also opens channels of communication, allowing you all to get along better at work.

Set boundaries

It’s good to make an effort to get to know the people you lead and share appropriate information about your life beyond the workplace as well. How ever, it’s important to set employee-boss boundaries from the start so that no one crosses the line during your interactions and later at work.

For example, you can discourage casual, personal discussions during work hours. This will draw a clear line between the nature of your relationship with them at work and in casual settings.

Set expectations

The best relationships are the ones where each party is clear on the expectations of the other. As a new boss, it’s good practice to let your subordinates know what you expect of them at work to avoid confusion and conflict.

It’s also the perfect opportunity to set ground rules with regards to office do’s and don’ts and establish your authority while also providing opportunities for discussions to pave the way for good working relationships.

“Leaders who win the respect of others are the ones who will deliver more than they promise – not the ones who promise more than they can deliver.” – Mark A.Clement"