It should
not really be a surprise that what works in regular relationships should also
work in a professional setting. The idea of listing to your people should be a no
brainer. While it is hard sometimes to not give your input I do agree with
Richard Marinucci that sometimes all the person needs is to vent. Having them
say what they need to say is often times a great relief, it is one of the main
aspects of professional counseling. Like the article also said is that logic
rarely mixes with emotion. This I think is a huge takeaway in the aspect of not
giving advice unless they ask for it. They are not in the right mind set to be
receptive to it if they do not ask.
In regards
to discipline I believe that fairness and uniformity is key. If two people
break the same rule then they should be dealt with in the same manner. To many
times have I seen two people do the same thing and one received a more severe
punishment. This seemed to be because of the relationship with the superior. In
my mind this is not acceptable and will breed disdain. As a leader we need to
make sure everyone is playing by the same rule book. While this may be hard to
do if you are the boss of a friend it is still needed, and once the punishment is
done most of the time the relationship will be back to normal. As always
whenever someone needs to be disciplined use it as a learning experience and counsel
them through the situation so that it will not happen again.