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You were promoted because of your work calibration so continue to do what you do best. Treat people with respect, listen to their concerns, and assure them you are there to help them grow to the position you are in now. People will respect you back and follow your leadership. Stay in control and don’t be petty with those that WILL exert pettiness with you. Communicate expectations clearly and don’t back down.
Yes, I had to start my management career directly supervising 3 peers (2 of them very close work friends) that used to work alongside me on the same team. It is challenging, as I’m sure you know. But not impossible.
You must be ok with the following, and ensure that you communicate this clearly to your new direct reports (friends):
1) You can no longer be the “cool kid” at meetings and work trips. I’m in sales so we had many conferences and overnight travel, and once I became the manager I no longer stayed out late after work dinners, drinking at the bar with coworkers /subordinates. It just won’t end well for you. Maybe have 1 drink to be social but then go up to your room early. Can’t stress this enough.
2) You must know that you’ll have to make extremely tough decisions that will affect your friendships and relationships. There is no way around this, accept the responsibility as it comes with management. Things like: Sitting a friend down to discuss their poor work performance. Letting a former peer go. Saying “no” a lot.
3) Start your management tenure with an honest conversation with your new team. Tell them your expectations, your vision and that you need their time/efforts to accomplish it together, etc. Then end it with “here is what you can expect from me as your manager”: I will have your back (loyalty), and expect you to have mine/the organization’s. My old boss once told me “I will always defend you, as long as you are running a defensible business”. One of my employees complained that I didn’t have their back... I spoke to leadership about a concern of mine. This employee was NOT running a defensible business and was not completing their work responsibilities. Plain and simple. I can only have your back within reason, but I will always do what’s right.
Yes, and it’s actually gone great. Give them respect, show them you’re here for them, set clear expectations and be kind yet clear if they’re missing expectations and help craft a plan to get them back on track. When things are going well, it shouldn’t be an issue. Remember you’re the boss for a reason and you need to do your part of bringing clear direction to the team and resolving blockers. You got this!
Just be your normal self. Manage them like you would manage other staff, do not show biases. As long as they do their parts as well, there wouldn't be any issue from all sides.