Been Called A Bossy Woman? It Means You Know How To Get Things Done!

I have been called a bossy woman innumerable times in my corporate life! I am still unsure of what the exact definition is that people use to define BOSSY!

Is it someone who dominates, dictates, is overbearing? Well, that’s the dictionary meaning.

In a corporate world and in the sector that I work in, where the ratio of men is higher than women, in a job that is highly demanding, where catching up with last minute deadlines is the routine, where senior leadership’s expectations are sky rocketing, a quiet demeanour and a submissive attitude would not really help get through, will it?

While managing teams with varied sentiments, managing high expectations of all stakeholders and bosses, wearing an overbearing attitude was the only way to get my job done. Sometimes, when timelines got stretched into an infinite delay zone or I had to deal with issues that demanded a tough call, a dictatorial attitude, being extremely demanding and working like a tough task master was the only way to go. Putting my foot down on decisions that were in the best interest of the business, was seen as ‘Bossy’ and demanding! What was often not considered by those fond of tagging me as bossy – there was always someone above me whom I was answerable to at all point in time.

So, yes. I have been Bossy. Because I was a task and result oriented person with a focus on timelines and precision delivery. I really cannot make a judgement about whether being Bossy is a good or a bad thing. However, when there is demand and expectation and a need to work with a varied set of human resources and deliver to a kind of standard that is set as the benchmark in the industry, it is only the attitude that makes you stand out and shine bright from others. This attitude of mine may have not gone down well with many, but at the end of the day, where I stand in terms of my work and contribution really matters more than anything else.

To all those women who has been termed as Bossy, you need to know that its society’s way of saying you are extremely capable, ambitious, task oriented, know your job, know how to get it done, and most importantly, you know how to get it done while carrying a no-nonsense attitude!

Image via Unsplash

Never miss real stories from India's women.

Register Now

Comments