I recall learning early in my career that as a manager, you had to keep a distance from your team. You needed to maintain authority and would have to make some tough decisions, so you kept your emotional distance. You focused on maintaining professionalism.
What horrible advice.
Your team will be most engaged and will perform at their best when you know them and treat them as people. You have to build a relationship with them. You don’t have to be BFFs, but you should get to know them.
When people feel like they can be themselves, they don’t waste energy or effort pretending. That extra energy and effort can then be put into productivity.
Spend time getting to know your team as individuals. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but it has to be consistent.
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