What’s wrong in being Bossy?

All in all we do not like bossy people, chances are you would have heard your little child come to you and say, “Mom/dad, I don’t like her/him in my class, she/he’s too bossy!” Children also relate bossiness to bullies – it is an intimidating act and certainly not likeable. Often people do want to be told what to do and how to do it but the way you tell them how matters the most, if you appear bossy and controlling people would not want to be around you. It is the human nature; we don’t want to be ordered around on what to do – most often. So at the workplace you have to strike a gentle note to your being the boss around – and try not to be “bossy”.

How not to be Intimidating and still be In-charge

To be a good leader you must make sure that the work gets done and often it is not through pleasantries that you can get that accomplished, instead of high-handedness have some rules in place at all times.
Here are some examples of the written rules you can pass on to your team. Somehow written rules do not appear “bossy” if you say them out over and over again perhaps they are not taken in that effectively.

• The task must be complete a week before the deadline so we can ensure a run-through of the quality of the product.
• Every week you must send a detailed status report on your tasks.
• Inform me of any changes to the plan immediately.
• You must be present at the monthly team meeting, else propose a one-on-one if you cannot attend the next one.

Never lose sight of the fact that you are the boss and certain expectations are around this word and role. It is because of rules and a fear of unpleasant consequences (read poor performance review) that many employees get a lot accomplished in a little time.
Dos and don’ts are great and when you know how to strike a good balance in how you are asking these from your employees, you can expect more respect and work get done. And of course “being nice” always is not on your job description, you better get the work done and done well and if you can accomplish this through good team relationship then that’s where you would qualify for the good bosses’ hall of fame.

You might also want to read some articles on this website if you do not want to be listed in books of “bad bosses” – BadBossology.

What are your ways of being “bossy” the right way?

Men talk to give information or report. Women talk to collect information or gain rapport.
Men focus on facts, reason and logic. Women focus on feelings, senses and meaning.
Men thrive on competing and achieving. Women thrive on harmony and relating
(Source: http://www.itstime.com/mar2005.htm)

Female Bosses Bring Home Work more as Compared to Male Counterparts

One of the most striking results is that women and men bosses differ in regard to coping strategies. In cases of conflict and unfair treatment, women take their problems home with them and develop psychosomatic symptoms to a greater extent than their male colleagues. Women managers also found it more difficult to tune out their work during their leisure time in comparison with their male counterparts.

(Source: innovations-report.de)

No matter where or how you take the debate to, the main point is that there is not much use comparing a female boss or a male boss solely on gender. But what counts in the end is :

• Is your boss a good motivator, does he/she help you in providing you a comfortable and satisfying work environment?

• Does your boss exhibit accountability and leadership qualities?

• Regardless of gender, do you consider your boss a a person worthy for his/her position and someone to look-up to?

Don’t judge a book by its cover; don’t judge a boss by gender. Just don’t judge at all, do your best at your work irrespective of how difficult or easy your boss is and you shall find yourself in a more satisfying job!

According to a boss-survey on Happy Worker website:
Male vs. Female Bosses
He-Managers are favored over She-Bosses:
- 37% prefer having a male boss
- 19% prefer having a female boss
- 43% say it wouldn’t make a difference either way
However, there’s also signs that the glass ceiling continues to crack… younger workers are almost evenly divided; for workers aged 18 and 34, 31% say they prefer a male boss, and 29% say they prefer a female boss.

Do Females Prefer or Dislike a Female Boss?

Quoting from an article :

According to the Gender Issues in the Workplace Survey by career publisher Vault Inc. (2006), women prefer to work for men rather than for other women.

When asked if they would prefer a male or female boss, more women, 28%, picked a male boss rather than a female boss (9%), while the majority of both the men and women surveyed had no preference.

More men would rather work for men than women as well; 26% of men chose a male boss and 8% picked a female boss.

Women in the workplace don’t just prefer male bosses over female bosses; they also feel more comfortable with male co-workers. Again, although the majority of men and women had no gender preference, the next choice for women was men, as 24% prefer male co-workers and only 11% prefer working with other women. 

Men’s choices were more evenly split, with 17% choosing male co-workers and 16% choosing female co-workers.One of many important findings from Vault’s Gender Issues Survey is that most women, 77%, agree that it is still difficult for women to get ahead in the workplace.

Conversely, only 43% of men feel that it is still difficult for women to advance at the office. A majority of women, 56%, feel that at one time or another they have been disadvantaged in the workplace because of their gender, while 25% of men feel the same way.

Question: What have been your experiences when working with a female boss?

Some other related articles of interest:
Gender preferences in the corner office – Work & Power survey respondents say why they like male, female bosses