Why Your Boss Shouldn’t be Your Friend

Vijay Nair chose to write about dogmatic bosses due to his personal experiences and those of others. “For the first nine years of my work life, I switched between many organisations and worked under different bosses. Also, as a consultant, I dealt with several CEOs and other heads,” he says, adding that these experiences inspired him to write the book that ‘sees things as is’.

Designed as a handbook for the Indian executives to survive and grow in an increasingly pressure-filled Indian corporate scenario, the book also contains a questionnaire to help readers identify if they are under a feudal boss, or someone nicer.

Do you face such an issue ? The issue of “buddy to boss” might not be as black and white as you might think. Conventional management and HR 101 wisdom would tell you it’s absolutely not OK. In fact, some companies might even try to outlaw it through “cronyism”policies.

However, in the real world of work, emotions and relationships can’t be governed by policy. Workplace relationships are extremely tricky, just as personal or family relationships can be.

(This book is available in Reliance time-out)
No matter how close a manager may feel to an employee, it should never be confused with a real “friendship”.