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So many women make the mistake of thinking that they have to be these big mean diva bosses, to get respect and cooperation from their staff and colleagues. They walk around the office huffing and puffing, never showing satisfaction at the work their staff does. They rarely praise their subordinates or colleagues work and they try to make them work all hours of the night. These women mottos are “If I can stay here all night, so can you!” One boss I had in particular, her motto was “I don't get high-blood pressure, I give it.! She was proud of this and she caused some of her staff to be stressed out with high-blood pressure. She was later fired!
Women already are labeled with being emotionally driven, especially in their decision making. You can be aggressive without being a bully. You do not get respect that way. Instead, your staff will dislike you and talk about you behind your back every chance they get. They'll start missing days from work resulting in high turn-over rates for the company. We all know that this can be very costly.
No one wants to work for a woman that's intent on causing your work days to be miserable and stressed. Some women managers are jealous of the way their assistants look and will cause them a lifetime of grief because of it. Some women managers may have had a fight with their husbands before they came to work, and guess what? Her staff's whole day is going to be hell because of it. They are emotionally driven. It's okay to be emotionally driven sometimes, just don't allow them to make important decisions for you and your company. You must consider everyone's needs, instead of how the decision you make is gonna make you look.
Managing by intimidation is never the right way in any organization. If it has worked for you now or in the past, you'll soon regret it. While you are busy intimidating your staff, someone in a higher position is paying attention. You think you are getting away with it because nobody has said anything. You're not. It's only a matter of time now. The higher-ups are waiting on you to hang yourself. And you will. You can't possibly think that your intimidation will go on forever. When you hang yourself, watch how far down the hill your career starts to plummet. It'll go so far down, you won't be able to see it anymore.
So if you want longevity in your career and you want to gain the respect of your subordinates and your colleagues, learn to give them respect first. Tell them that they are doing a good job sometimes. Reward them for their work. Manage your staff by the knowledge and people skills that you posses. Besides, isn't that what got you the position in the first place.
To find out more, visit my website at http://monicaburns.tripod.com
Monica M. Burns
copyright2005 Monica M. Burns. All Rights Reserved.