Zoro writes in to Ask a Manager

A reader writes:

I have a pretty tight crew at work and my boss is great. He's always pushing me to chase my career goals and is my biggest cheerleader. We don't have a formal structure at work and sometimes that's great. It lets everyone to lean into their strong suits and be innovative. Others, not myself and not my boss, have taken to calling me the second in command. Technically, I'm not but I have been with my boss the longest (sorta - that's another letter) and I am the one he listens to if our work situation gets too loosey goosey.

The problem I'm running into is that my boss prioritizes friendship over performance. I recognize there is value to this approach, but he can take it too far. Recently, one of our team (SC) was at a large convention in Dressarosa. There, he ran into a member of a rival company at one of the post-dinner after hours. They drank and danced the night away. The next day, SC went around the convention telling everyone he was leaving our crew to go run off with her! My boss just laughed it off and said "That's just SC being SC."

I have two issues with this. One, he is being disloyal, even if it's a dumb joke. Two, SC's behavior is embarrassing and reflects poorly on the rest of our crew. He followed our rival around like a dog in heat.

I think SC needs to be put on a performance improvement plan at a minimum. If it were up to me, I'd call his bluff and write him a check with two week's severance. How do I let my devil may care boss know I'm serious about this? I don't want to threaten to leave over a co-worker who can't keep his dick in check.

What does the rest of your team think? If they're on the same page as you, approaching your boss as a united front and letting him know that SC's juvenile antics are causing them embarrassment as well may be more effective than threatening to leave. Though, if you have enough capital with your boss, and given the depth of your history you just might, it could be effective.

I would warn, however, this approach is a hammer that you don't want to bring out every time there's an issue to fix.

But I think you may have a larger problem here. You're unable to address this situation yourself because of the lack of a formal leadership structure. While it may help your team feel more collaborative, you can see how it can exacerbate disciplinary problems. Particularly because it sounds like your boss is more keen on being friends than work mates.

Perhaps you should ask for a formal leadership title and a written memorialization of your job duties? It sounds like you are willing to run a tighter ship especially, and forgive me for the pun, when it's threatening to go aground.