Best Kept Secrets of the OR #14- You can be friendly, but not friends

There should always be a bit of mystique with your leaders.

You should not be too buddy-buddy with your leaders. Like, at all. Never, not gonna do it.

I’ve seen OR staff ruined because they misunderstood their boss’ friendliness.

Why?

Because some bosses only cultivate close relationships to gain intelligence from the rest of the staff. After all, you can trust me, I’m the manager. No, sometimes you can’t trust the boss to have your best interests at heart when it comes time to make big decisions for the departments.

All of a sudden there can be a new tech or nurse in the department and you are shunted off into the cold without any benefits from befriending the boss. Because they are now the boss’ friend.

Of course, this can go both ways.

Some people go out of their way to befriend their boss. To get a better assignment, to get a better schedule, to be able to “rat” out those they don’t like.

You know, so they can undermine someone they don’t like.

But, in my experience, this is to get a better assignment or to become a lounge lizard because no one would yell at the boss’ friend. I take that back, it is also be complain about those they don’t like.

What is even worse is when the boss is in the in-crowd and making decisions based on their bestie’s desires.

Remember, friendly but not friends.

Because if you are friends with your manager and they leave the hospital and all of a sudden you have a new manager who has a different policy on friendship, what then? And the old manager, that you thought you were friends with is nowhere to be seen.

Drat, all those hours babysitting down the drain.

Friendly but not friends.