Born with the boss gene
“Women prefer a male boss because they think female leaders lack personality.” Nicky Dulieu, Chief Executive of Hobbes, made this statement after carrying out research to better understand the women workforce in her company.
According to the research done by Hobbes, women in management positions hide their natural personalities in order to be toughest and as there is so much pressure on them to be superhuman, they lose their real personality in the process.
Who can forget the notorious boss in the movie, The Devil Wears Prada, played to perfection by Meryl Streep? The mere thought of having a boss like that may send chills down anyone’s spine.
The question is, do men also prefer a male boss to a female boss? Do they also feel that women don’t do well in leadership positions? Listen to Varun Anand, a software professional: “I feel it’s prejudiced to say that women are not good vanguards. I have a female boss and I find her supportive, considerate and approachable, far more than my ex-boss who was male. Probably, women haven’t been given as many opportunities as men to prove their mettle as forerunners. Also, I feel a woman can empathise better with her employees and establish a much better simpatico with her subordinates.”
It is not a subject where you will find unanimity, however. “From my personal experience, I feel female bosses can’t handle pressure. Maybe it’s because they feel threatened about their position or they are insecure. They think if they are not harsh, their employees will take them lightly. They seem to lack the quality of assertiveness,” says Reo George, a business executive based in Bangalore.
“I have good experience working with both female superiors and male ones and I don’t think women lack the personality to be good bosses,” opines Mariyan actress Parvathy Menon. “They definitely have what it takes. The nature of the working environment might be different when it is a male boss but from my experience I don’t feel that female bosses don’t have leadership qualities. We have many good leaders among women also,” she observes.
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