What is the stigma about “notoriously bad female bosses?” It has been said that women bosses have something to prove so they make up for it by being hard noses. Well lets hear from the other side.
For 32 years I have been a female boss. Unlike most men, my door is always open and I am sympathetic to single mom’s needs. I listen and give advise to my employees on their spouses, boyfriends, children, aging parents and health problems, my employees feel free to call me at home, and the list goes on. I guess because I am a woman, my employees tell me things that I might just as soon not know, I seem to evoke this openness in people.
In some ways this is good. My employees feel connected and a part of the team. They feel how important they are.
In some ways this is bad. When it is time for me to be a boss and enforce rules for the good of the company, some of them get their feelings hurt. Professionalism goes out the door. They begin to react to me emotionally and this can be very draining for both of us.
My husband came to work with me in my company 15 years ago and was shocked. So now whenever an employee becomes too emotionally connected my husband has to sit in on discussions with the employee. He doesn’t have to say or do anything. Just his presence as a man seems to make people tighten up and act like it’s a job instead of a party.
So to all you other women bosses out there, I recommend having a man present when you have to act like a boss.
Posted by Kerry
