What to Do When Your Friend Becomes Your Boss

Prepare for changes in your relationship. Your friend is probably to distance themselves from you, if they are mature enough. Your friend can't show that they're playing favorites with you, otherwise it will become the source of problems in the long run. So don't be surprised if one day your friend will talk to you as to one of the co-workers, whom they barely know.

Prepare to know your friend once more. New job position and new responsibilities may bring to surface the things that you don't like and even never knew about your friend. Try to stay calm, remember, that they're still you friend and cheer your new boss. The first few months are the most difficult.

Don't ask your friend for favors. Everyone sooner or later will ask your new boss for favors, as well as you. Nobody will blame you if you do this, however, don't make your friendship with your boss a priority and don't think that it gives you special status. In fact you actually need to wait a long time before you ask for a favor. Let others do it first.

Work even better then you did before. Having a friend as a boss doesn't let you think, that now you don't need to work at all. Yes, may be your friend won't fire you, but you also don't need any arguments with your boss concerning the work that you don't do. Don't become a burden for your friend and the whole team!

Don't be afraid to become a counselor. You and your friend have close and trusted relationship, that's why your new boss may seek for your advice. You should help your friend, but don't share the details with the rest of the team. If you tell it, you will feel momentarily good, because the others may think that you have an inside track. But believe us, it's not worth it at all.

Separate your work and your friendship. Don't pollute the relationship by conversations about work when you're together away from the office. And act professionally when you're inside of the office, otherwise you will give the wrong impression to the rest of the team.

Talk to each other about the changes. In fact many problems are caused by the lack of communication. Talk to your friend about your relations, if you see some negative changes and you miss your friendship. Even if your friend is no longer the same as they were before, don't miss this chance.