We often hear that bosses should not be friends with their subordinates because they could lose their authority. That is one of the most common myths concerning relationships between managers and their people. If you clarify mutual performance expectations in advance, nothing prevents you from building strong, friendly relationships.
Doug Watsabaugh from the WCW Partners consulting company highlighted other similar myths in his article on Ezinearticles.com.
Manager cannot be honest to all
Some managers mistakenly believe that their task is to bring employees to performance, not to explain the broader context of their actions. They may also withhold information in order to show their power. All this, however, leads only to the spread of rumors, which does not help the performance in any way.
Emotions have nothing to do at work
The idea that everything in the workplace must be dealt with logically and rationally is also wrong. Emotions can not be completely shut down and if they are not taken into account, the pressure among people increases. Managers should therefore not ignore the thickening atmosphere among their people. They should provide opportunities to exchange feedback and tackled about the issues directly.
Manager must always have everything under control
Nobody is perfect and it is not a failure to admit a mistake. It is better to be perceived as an honest man who is able to learn from experience.
-kk