Ever heard of the word ‘bossy’? I bet you have! Can you think of anyone bossy, or someone who was called bossy? Go on, think again. There you go! Chances are you probably have a list. And bigger chances are, the person you associated the word with was a girl. No, really, think about it… how many guys have you heard being called bossy? But for us girls, its like the word ambitious is an after thought (almost always with a negative conotation). So really, is it that bad? Is bossy the curse everyone tries to make it sound to be?
What does bossy really mean? It means you are a girl who:
1. Knows her mind
Even though this doesn’t mean you know your mind for every single thing, it definitely does think you can make your mind up quickly about something. You then go ahead and know what the next steps are and try to push for those without waiting around for others to catch up.
2. Believes in delegation and teamwork and gets the job done.
A ‘bossy’ girl is someone who knows what needs to be done, and knows that everyone needs to contribute for success. She is someone who knows who can do what, and is confident in her ability to put forward suggestions to get the work distributed and the task DONE.
3. Is an independent thinker and risk taker
You know who is comfortable with their rationale and not influenced by others? The first one to speak up and take initiative. We ‘bossy’ girls, we don’t tip-toe around work. We are more than willing to be heard, put our ideas out there, and keep thinking of a game plan. Even though, to be honest, sometimes we can be too assertive or too straight forward, its always because we have a vision and we are more than happy to communicate it :) We may all have our own insecurities, but when it’s time to work, we are confident in our ideas and unafraid to put them forward and get the ball rolling.
4. Is ambitious
Yes, we want to do well. Yes, we want to earn money. Yes, we want to win. Yes, yes and yes. We have goals, we have directions and we have (an abundance) of drive! But that is exactly what makes us unique. We are never afraid to aim higher, push more or put in that extra hour to make sure we reach the outcome we wanted. If we get knocked down (failure, snarky comments, etc.) we eventually brush ourselves off and keep going. Not because we didn’t feel bad, or because we weren’t discouraged or disheartened. No. Purely because that’s our personality. We are happiest when we are achieving our goals, when things are getting done, when progress is being made. Not because we dislike having fun, down-time or lazy weekends. Instead, after we unwind, we need to go…like REALLY go for it…and that thrill and that drive is what keeps us going. The few knocks are made worthwhile with us reaching our destination, and we have years of experience to know that that drive can’t really be suppressed.
5. Is expected to succeed
Not going to lie, with all the negative conotations the word bossy has, there is still a silver lining. Although this also adds additional pressure, in the end a ‘bossy’ woman is just someone who is an ambitious, driven and undeterred woman. Because this is the base of the term, no matter what else someone thinks of you, they will always trust you to be the one to step up, to jump at opportunities, to survive the storms, and the reach the end goal. Yes this is nerve-wrecking. But if everyone takes it as a given that you will succeed, that is half the battle won right? Not because you should care what they think. But because we are all human, at least some people’s opinions matter. And those people are rooting for you. You may not have the skillset yet, but you have the personality of an achiever! So get to work and get to that finish line!
6. Salutes to her fellow ‘bossy’ ladies
Because we can each support and encourage one another to reach our goals. There are enough obstacles in the world, we know we don’t have to create more for one another. Instead, we work together to change the conversation, to push for more ‘bossy’ woman, to make being ambitious, determined and a leader an even playing field for all future genders.
7. Not bossy, but a boss!
Because we don’t have to stop at little girls. Because we don’t have to be apologetic for being our selves. Because we shouldn’t have to worry about being motivated, ambitious, passionate, driven, assertive, etc. etc. etc. Because…
And let us ROAR! Let us be all those things and so much more. Let us hustle, and get closer to our destinations. Most importantly, let us accept and celebrate you we are so that the next time someone is kind enough to let you know that you are ‘bossy’, put on that smile and let them know…
Check out http://banbossy.com/ for encouragement to get girls to lead!