In a recent O magazine article, Suzy Welch outlines the top five mistakes female bosses typically make. Among them are:
Holding on to a Bad Hire Female managers tend to wait longer in hopes that a poor performer will turn around their behavior. This could be due to wanting to avoid confrontation, or because they tend to consider more or empathize for the employee’s responsibilities such as family. Not to mention it means admitting to a mistake. However, respect for bosses comes from facing the problem and fixing it quickly.
The Good Mother vs. The Ice Queen Some women try to overcompensate for a stereotypical gender role by acting like a “classic male boss,” Welch explains. But people want to feel valued and cared about. The flip side of this is known as the Good Mother—she invites too much personal interaction and friendliness. This backfires when a strict rule must be enforced, and employees feel betrayed. Welch encourages a health balance between the two.
The Ability to Look at the Bigger Picture When women become the boss, it can be difficult to transition from working toward their own success, and instead working for her entire team’s success. This problem occurs across the gender board, but, Welch hypothesizes, women tend to be older when they’ve reached a management role, and therefore their habits become harder to break.
Welch emphasizes that all these mistakes are made by men and women alike—but that women tend to take longer to make the changes to correct them. To read the other top mistakes, click on the source article below.
Source:
O magazine: When Good Women Make Bad Bosses
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