There’s nothing quite as rewarding as getting to that place in your career where you land the role of boss. You’re ready to tackle the challenges head on – you were made for this! But sometimes, it’s a bit more difficult than anticipated. Being a woman in a male-dominated world is not without its challenges – especially as a supervisor.
You have to step up to the plate ready to take on issues you’ve never dealt with before, people who challenge your decisions and guidance and be ready to prove your worth. No matter what – being a boss definitely feels great, but it’s got challenges too – so how can you be the boss that everyone respects? Here are a few tips to get you started on the right track.
How to Be a “Boss Lady” that Everyone Respects
Take your own performance up a notch. Here’s the thing: when you’re the boss you’re there to set the tone and be an example for the team. And, if you want your team members to operate at their peak performance levels – you need to also. Try and take more initiative or give projects that extra dose of attention or time. That will keep you on the ball and remind your superiors just what you’re made of.
Keep it all business. It can be extremely tempting to go out on the town with your team – and every once-in-a-while to celebrate a big success, go for it. But not a great idea to get in the habit hitting up happy hour every day of the week. That line between supervisor and friend can become so easily blurred and that’s not a road you want to travel down. The tough part is you spend a lot of time with your team and you most certainly do become friendly, but you also have to draw the line and keep it pro. Trust me on this one – you’ll be more respected in the long run.
Keep your cool at all times. Things happen in the workplace. Frustrating things. Unprofessional things. Sometimes it can be easy to become rattled and potentially go from being calm and cool – to hot, hot, hot. Rather than losing your temper or feeling wildly emotional about a situation, remind yourself to stay cool as a cucumber and be the one who leads others through a tough situation. No matter what – you want to be remembered for being the one who stayed calm and helped solve a problem rather than contributing to it.
Look the part. If you want to be taken seriously, you have to fit the bill both inside and out. Dressing professionally and setting an example for your direct reports seems like a small thing, but that’s actually the way to get it done as a leader. You may not feel like rolling out of bed and putting that business suit on every day – but your male counterpart does – so you better too. So much of leadership can be attributed to setting a good example and that starts by setting a tone of professionalism.
Be available to answer questions. When you’re the boss, people have questions. It’s absolutely inevitable. They also are looking to you for guidance – even with some of the most basic tasks. When you start to get frustrated with all the questions and guidance you need to provide, remind yourself: “I am the boss. It’s my responsibility to help people understand what’s expected of them and how to get it done. I’m also a leader and mentor and that’s a huge responsibility.” When you’re in charge, a lot also rests on your shoulders – rather than being frustrated by all that responsibility, embrace it!
Are you a boss? Are you thinking about taking that leap at work?
