Recently I wrote about mates being awesome, and the best thing about joining the Fire Service is the camaraderie that comes with it. Honestly, I have never been involved in anything that has such a strong sense of community, and that holds the value of "having each other's back" so highly. It is an incredible organization for that reason. Our company, Queensberry, also has an amazing culture that fosters the feeling of one family and of looking after each other. We are very proud of the fact that, in all the past entries we've had in the "Best Places to Work Awards" we have been in the TOP 10, and we put the result down to our feeling of 'oneness'. There is lots of documented evidence of the value to an organization of a "tight" team and camaraderie. Of course we know that it takes time and effort to build these bonds, and although it can be very difficult the payoff potentially huge. I raise this today however as a note of caution. Being too close can turn from an asset to a liability when things go wrong, especially if you have weak leaders who fail to differentiate between friendship and the needs of the business. You must always, in business, socialise and be friendly ... foster the feelings of family and community. But you must also retain authority and be the boss. Don't let the informality of friendship slip over into the work relationship as it is so so hard to get discipline back once lost. Be careful... How are you going in your business? How are the boundaries? Do you have a good relationship with staff ... Too easy on them or too hard?