Friday, March 14, 2014

Banning Bossy

Last weekend I read an article in Parade Magazine, "Condolezza Rice, Sheryl Sandberg, and Girl Scouts CEO Anna Maria Chavez:  Let's Ban Bossy."  I also found the Ban Bossy web site.  The goal of this movement is to encourage leadership development in young girls by removing the negative connotation that comes with the label "bossy."

Like many women leaders, I am familiar with the "bossy" label.  I just hadn't thought about it much until I read this article.  The label definitely sends a message to girls that they should not step up to a leadership role.  Those that do earn the label and the resultant teasing.  It saps confidence.  How many times have you heard a girl called bossy?  How about a boy? 

Of course, times are changing, and we see more and more women in leadership positions these days. Many of us have had to struggle to overcome a lack of confidence to take our places, including me.  A woman friend and I used to coach each other to "not apologize," as we both recognized our tendency to start out a request or an opinion with an apology or an acknowledgement that we "might be wrong about this...."

Like some many things in life, I learned a few good things from the bossy label.  I learned to be more sensitive to the way I present myself, to the way I ask for someone to do something.  I learned to be more diplomatic in offering criticism.  These are good lessons.  But I'm still all for banning bossy.

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