There’s a song by David Guetta called “Play Hard”, which rings through my head when I think of the concept of finding the balance between working hard, and playing hard…

The topic of balancing work and play is one that most people will encounter in their lives at some point when leading a team, whether this be a netball team, a corporate team, leading a group assignment, or in my case, a university student society committee team. Over the years, I’ve had many leadership opportunities come my way. A challenge I have faced with every one of these roles has been the awkward task of leading individuals who are also your close friends. 

You may think it’s hard to find that perfect balance between work and play in general. Equaling out your Monday to Friday work-day routine with some Friday and Saturday night fun with your mates can be tricky at times. But, what’s even harder than this is when the play is within your work environment – you’re playing with the same people you’re working with.

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Here are some tips and lessons that I’ve learnt especially during my role as Vice President on MMSS that may help anyone who is looking for a bit of guidance when leading a team that includes your close mates:

Tip One: Treat everyone equally

It’s important to give everyone a clean slate in your own mind and delegate tasks evenly and professionally, as if you met everyone on the same day. Don’t play favourites!

Tip Two: Keep work and play banter separate

Keep those private ‘play’ convos with your close friends to a minimum when in your work environment – trust me, when an inside joke comes up, I sure do know just how hard it is to not scream with laughter and mention a few ‘bantery’ comments that only a few understand. However, it’s so important to be mindful of everyone who’s in the room and think about the possibility that some people may be feeling left out. So, my advice would be to either choose to explain an inside joke to everyone in the room, or keep them to yourselves for another time.

Tip Three: Set Boundaries 

Now, my third and final tip doesn’t quite apply to me, but goes out to all those who have encountered, or are currently encountering a cute office romance – my piece of advice for balancing these kinds of relationships, is to create two ‘identities’ for your significant other. Think of this person as the individual you know (or knew) in social and romantic environments, and then think of them as the individual you know (or knew) as your work colleague. Perhaps discuss topics to avoid in your work environment, and topics to avoid in your ‘play’ environment. This will help draw the line between the two ways you know (or knew) the person, and ensure both environments don’t take an awkward hit!

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Now, I understand that not all leaders have this problem of balancing work and play. Some choose not to be friends with the people they manage, and that’s their choice and I respect that. But this has never been the decision I have made, so I have had to make some physical adjustments and attitude changes along the way to help me reach my mission of finding this balance. 

Good luck finding your balance. All the best, Belle x 

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