Managers Can't Be An Employee's Friend
It can be difficult to care for an employee, yet have to tell them when they're not meeting deadlines or goals.
This is one of the challenges Katia Beauchamp, co-founder of Birchbox, figured out very early on.
Her challenge was "trying to figure out the balance of caring about somebody and
She says she was so empathetic that it didn't work out so well for her as a manager in the beginning.
Instead, Beauchamp had to learn how to redirect people's energy if it wasn't focused. She realized she wasn't doing herself - or her employees - any good by being their friend. She had to learn how to focus on the highest priorities and say "no" when needed.
"Because what I want is somebody to develop me," she said. "I want that from my board and my advisers. I want people to challenge me. I don't want people to tell me everything I do is awesome."
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