Joyel Crawford, Fairygodmentor, Ask Your Fairygodmentor, Column, peer to mentor, manager, peer

July 25, 2024

FairyGodMentor®: Is It OK To Follow Your Team On Social Media?

Reader’s Question:

Dear FairyGodMentor,

I read your article on how to transition from team member to team manager. I have a follow-up question. Should I “unfriend” the team on social media now that I’m their manager?

Thanks,

Worker Bee

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Dear Worker Bee,

Having the responsibility of being a manager to your peers can be a very challenging landscape to navigate. It’s a fine line to dance when folks who were your colleagues a while ago are looking to you in a leadership capacity.

Professional boundaries are something to keep in mind as you take on a new team.

Building trust takes time. Trust can also be broken in seconds.

A great best practice to start doing as a new manager is to have regular one-on-one conversations with your team members. By having these discussions, you will be laying the foundation to build trust and a solid business relationship.

With that thought in mind, you may want to add a talking point to your one-on-one discussions about communication and how you’d like to communicate with each other moving forward.

Being connected to a co-worker on social media as a friend is a different dynamic when you’re now their manager. Don’t dance around the subject of your social media connections. Ask your direct report if they feel comfortable staying connected to you, given the recent role change. If they wish to not be followed anymore — be respectful of their choice.

Remember, it’s not just about your team’s privacy, but it’s also about your own. I recall adjusting my privacy settings on my social media accounts because I was connected to upper levels of leadership.

Check yourself before you wreck yourself. You also want to double-check your company’s policies on social media interactions with management and direct reports. The last thing you want to do is start your new leadership position off with a policy infraction.

Communication is key. Ask your former peers how they feel about staying connected to you and take the next steps accordingly. The last thing you want to do is ignore things and not acknowledge your team’s boundaries.

You got this!

Sincerely,

Your FairyGodMentor®

Joyel Crawford is an award-winning career and leadership development professional and the founder of Crawford Leadership Strategies, a consultancy that develops empowered, results-driven leaders through engaging leadership development coaching, training, and facilitation.

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