Under the Social Influence by Chuck Wilson

Author:Chuck Wilson
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781614484660
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing

Are you able to accept the established procedures of your company and excel at your job operating under them?

Have you avoided office politics or been sucked into them?

Are you able to tell if this organization is a good cultural fit for you long term?

Chapter 14

My new boss is a woman!

One of the most puzzling, complicated, and confusing business challenges for me to understand is why so many people have trouble working for women, especially women who report to other women. Why is this even a problem? Here’s one theory I have: It starts from being peers. I’ve seen dozens of conflicts that begin when one manager is promoted to head a department of people with whom they were once business peers. In most cases, I find this to be a lack of respect or a lack of understanding of how the organizational structure of a company works and the importance of a chain of command. Ladies, deal with it.

And men, listen up. It’s the twenty-first century. How can men still have a problem reporting to women? As a person of strong faith, I understand the biblical interpretations of authority and appreciate the traditional conflicts that the workplace could invoke. I also understand the old-school workplace traditions and how uncommon it used to be to report to a female. Traditional thinking and the attachment to outdated leadership methods simply must yield to hiring the best qualified candidate, regardless of gender. Needless to say, there is a change that has occurred in the last several decades where more women seek higher education and have sacrificed non-work priorities to climb the corporate ladder. It is my strong opinion that they should be given the exact same level of respect (and compensation) as a man in the workplace. Guys, deal with it.

Now, for the woman who is the new boss, here’s what you need to deal with: The reality is that you need to manage your friendships differently now. Coworkers, who were your peers and friends, can remain your friends, but new boundaries have to be established. Especially when you’re dealing with confidential information, draw a line and never, ever cross it. This is true for men who get promoted as well: things do and will change, and please don’t become oversensitive to now being left out of after-work activities and social interaction. The deal is that because you are now in management, your old peers feel as if you left them and harbor some resentment. Likewise, you will feel resentment from being detached from them. It’s just the natural way of things for both sides. Learn to deal with it.

The biggest mistake a young manager can make following their promotion is to demand respect in the early stages of their new position. A much better approach is to earn respect, and the way to do that is to stay true to your fundamental beliefs, such as your work ethic, integrity, honesty and general ethics. Just because you were promoted does not mean you should change anything about your core values and principles.

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