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A PM’s Guide: How to Make Friends with Your Project Team Members

It takes a lot of effort to get to the top. Days of endless work and tons of sweat, looking towards joining your organization’s management. Finally, you achieve your objectives and become a project manager at your firm.

You are now in charge of your colleagues; you become the boss that you once dreaded. So, what do you do about it? People do not like to be under supervision. They do not cope well with authority figures, and for you, it will not be different.

They will not enjoy taking instructions on what to do and abide by the set deadlines. However, you have to reconcile the dislike of authority with the achievement of company objectives.

An excellent way to do this would be to get friendly with the employees. Friendship enhances team collaboration.

As a project manager, you should find the right balance between friendship and work, to keep a manageable workspace.

 Tips to Make Friends

While making friends with your subordinates is often challenging, especially if you demand too much from them. You can start by following some techniques guaranteed to reconcile leaders and their juniors.

1.  Have meals together

Having a meal together is a sure-fire way for any two individuals or groups to get to know each other. Having meals with your employees will help you as the project manager to understand them better.

However, leave out any work-related talk during the outing, to separate work life from the personal stuff.

You can also take individual employees out for meals to form a more personal relationship with each one.

The connections established will help all of you achieve the company’s objectives since everyone will have acquired a personal attachment to the leader of the project.

If your employees go out for meals in a group, ask to be included in one of their outings, and enjoy their company. If you make it a pleasant time, you can be sure of future invitations, which will take you a step closer to your friend-making objective.

2.  Lead by example

Your subordinates are more likely to open up to you if you show them your interactive and fun-loving side. Be free with them when you meet outside work, and help them feel free to talk to you about their problems.

A project manager should encourage them to avoid stress, talk openly, and feel free to show their emotions. Creating an interactive environment is an excellent way to help them open up to you on work-related matters when you are at work.

Lead them by example, involve them in all matters involving work and a bit of your personal life so that you do not scare them.

 Merits of Making Friends

Forming rapport with your employees will change your workplace in many ways.

First, it becomes easier to communicate with your employees about the deadlines they are supposed to meet and the importance of meeting them. After all, nobody likes to disappoint his or her friends.

Next, it improves motivation among employees because they will feel like they have someone to go to for work-related matters. This, in turn, increases the efficiency of a group and enhances team collaboration.

Lastly, project management is easier done in a collaborative environment. So being friendly makes your work a lot more easier than when everybody finds you scary.

Conclusion

As a project manager, it is a good idea to form rapport with team members. Not only does it aid communication between employees and their superiors, but it also improves the productivity of the team.

However, managers must also keep boundaries clear—it can be difficult to direct your employees objectively without maintaining employee-manager respect.

Therefore, the process of being friendly with your employees can be easy or complicated, but the bottom line is to maintain a respectable work environment. Ensure that you keep your work-life professional, even if you end up being close friends with your employees.