When you work with Brazilian leaders, expect clear hierarchy that operates through personal warmth rather than professional distance. The boss is clearly the boss—authority isn’t ambiguous or democratically negotiated. But this authority comes wrapped in personal relationship. Your manager will want to know you as a person, will engage warmly, will maintain what might feel like friendship alongside the authority relationship.
This isn’t contradiction or confusion about roles; it’s how Brazilian hierarchy works. Don’t mistake the warmth for lack of authority or the authority for lack of genuine personal care. Both are real and operate together. A Brazilian leader who seems distant or purely professional is likely failing by local standards, and a foreign leader who maintains professional distance may seem cold or uncaring regardless of competence.
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