by Stephanie Stuart

Created on: November 04, 2008   Last Updated: November 13, 2008

The fault of this argument lies in the question itself. Is it important for your employees to like you? Not necessarily. Like is a vague term. People like different types of food and different sports. What is important, is that your employees have RESPECT for you as a leader. Employees must feel that their direct supervisor is one who is ethical, amicable, and trustworthy. They must feel like their work is valued and their opinions count. This does not mean that they have to like you.

That said, it is important to build a working relationship with all members of a team, since everyone brings diverse ideas and opinions to the table. Get to know your employees, not just in their work roles, but in their family and personal roles. Who has kids? Where did people attend college? Who has pets? What do they enjoy doing during their free time? Simple facts like these help bridge the gap between manager and subordinate. It helps employees feel like managers care. Managers who don't know about their teams don't have the ability to understand, or adapt to the team's abilities. Managers who take the "my way or the highway" approach often do not get the respect that is needed to lead a successful team. Morale on the team can suffer, and ultimately goals are not met.

The relationship between manager and new employee is most fragile in the first 90 days of employment. It is during those days that employees must feel accepted to the team/organization. Likewise, this is also the time for the new hire to shine. If a manager fails to connect with a new employee, they can begin to feel isolated. They feel as if they are not a part of the team that they were hired for. They don't have the respect for the manager that they should. It is these feelings that lead to employee turnover.

Don't get me wrong, as a manager myself, I have fun with my people every day. I believe that my team likes me most days, and I am OK with that. I know there are some days where bosses can be impossible. The boss has to be able to separate themselves from the employees in order to make sure that the team is clearly aligned with the goals of the organization.

Do I care if my team likes me? Yes and no. I want to make sure that my staff enjoy working for me, and will continue to stay with the organization. At the end of the day, though, I want to make sure that I have garnered their respect; that goes a lot further than likability.

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