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Potter, Carey L. Whos The Better Boss. November 2015

This writing was for my composition II class. I spent about seven hour creating this
essay. I had two drafts and revisions. I believe this piece could use a little work. If I were allowed
to re-do this piece of writing, I would include more information about the different types of
bosses and the problems and benefits to each type.

Carey Potter
Professor Tamera Davis
Composition II
10 November 2015
Whos The Better Boss
There are many types of women bosses in the workforce. There are the laid-back types, the
super aggressive types, the controlling types, and the Queen Bee types. I have worked for all four
types of bosses. In my opinion, the laid-back types of bosses are the easiest to work for. They
allow the employees to do their job without interruption. The super aggressive type of boss wants
it done now and gives the employee no room for error. The super controlling type will check and
recheck your work so that it meets their very high and often unobtainable standards. The Queen
Bee types are often super aggressive and super controlling. They tend to do whatever it takes to
undermine the employees hard work to make them look good. I am going to review the different
types of bosses and their pros and cons.

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Depending on your personality, one boss type may fit while the others may not. Some
employees need someone that is laid-back and will allow them to do their job. Other needs
someone that is very aggressive in timelines and expectations. While others might need the super
controlling boss that checks and double checks all of their work. There are even those that will
thrive under the Queen Bee. Personally, I prefer the laid-back type of boss. I need to know that
my boss trusts me to do the job correctly and within the timeline given. I prefer to have someone
that will help guide me when I am not sure and who will give credit for when I do well.
The Queen Bee boss is someone who is all in it for herself. According to Drexler, The term
queen bee syndrome was coined in the 1970s, following a study led by researchers at the
University of Michigan Graham Staines, Toby Epstein Jayaratne and Carol Tavris who
examined promotion rates and the impact of the womens movement on the workplace. In a 1974
article in Psychology Today, they presented their findings, based on more than 20,000 responses
to reader surveys in the magazine and Redbook. They found that women who achieved success in
male-dominated environments were at times likely to oppose the rise of other women. This
occurred, they argued, largely because the patriarchal culture of work encouraged the few
women who rose to the top to become obsessed with maintaining their authority (Drexler 2).
From personal experience, the Queen Bee will take credit for the employees work and never
allow them to shine to upper management. They will do almost anything to retain their position.
Queen Bees are often bullies and will gossip to others about everyone to anyone who will listen.
They seek out their competitors and set out to undermine their work and try to get them to
question their own ability. Nothing a employee does is right to the Queen Bee. From my
experience Queen Bees are very insecure in their work, in their ability, and their standing

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amongst others. They seek out others personal and work related issues in order to try and deflect
attention from their own incompetency.
The controlling type of boss is very involved in your day to day work. They will check and
double check all of the employees work. Hence, providing themselves with unneeded and too
much work. They are always super busy and not usually available for questions or feedback.
The employee may think that there is nothing wrong with the work that they completed, however
the super controlling type of boss will find at least one issue. Nicole McWhirter had this type of
boss. As report in Why Are We So Hard on Women Bosses by Brodesser-Akner, Every time I
came to her with an idea, she would end up saying, No, thats not good enough, says
McWhirter. Shed throw things on my desk and say, This is crap! Do it again! (BrodesserAkner 2). With the controlling type of boss, not much is to their standard. They continually try to
undermine what the employee does and they never feel like they or their work is good enough.
The super aggressive boss is similar to the controlling boss. However, they do not load
themselves down with excess work. They expect the employee to do most of the work while they
sit in their office and not contribute to the work flow. They continually give the employee more
and more work. They do not identify the employees weak points but they often mark their
progress reports low. They normally do not communicate with their employees and always
expect the absolute best from everyone. The time lines on projects are normally short notice even
though they may have had the plan on their desk for a week or more. Aggressive bosses have
little regard for other people. They are not concerned with others needs and make decision based
solely on their own agenda. Aggressive bosses are typically bullies that want to get their way by
any means necessary.

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The laid-back boss, in my opinion, is the best type of boss to have. They are not obsessive,
demanding or overbearing. They hired their employees to do the job and they allow them to do it.
They tend to be confident, capable, and calm enough to allow their employees to do their jobs.
They do not feel the need to micro-manage or belittle their employees. They know that they hired
a good team to get the job done. The laid-back boss will give an employee a project and let them
complete it. They have faith and trust in their ability and knowledge to know that they will be
able to do the job well.
There are campaigns out there that want to stop labeling women as bossy. Per Boney,
There is a new campaign that was launched by Facebook COO and Lean In author, Sheryl
Sandberg. In conjunction with former Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice and Girl Scouts USA
CEO, Anna Maria Chavez, the Ban Bossy campaign was created to deal with the negative
stigma attributed to women that they are bossy when in fact they are just great leaders and are
growing exponentially. Sandburg said, When a little boy asserts himself, hes called a leader.
Yet when a little girl does the same, she risks being branded bossy. Words like bossy send a
message: dont raise your hand or speak up. By middle school, girls are less interested in leading
than boys a trend that continues into adulthood. Together we can encourage girls to lead. We
call girls bossy on the playground, Sandberg told ABC News. We call them too aggressive or
other B-words in the workplace. Theyre bossy as little girls, and then theyre aggressive,
political, shrill, too ambitions as women (Boney 1). I believe this campaign is a good thing, for
certain women and girls. It should be noted that not all bossy girls will make good bosses. They
may turn into a super controlling boss, super aggressive boss, and possibly even turn into a
Queen Bee. Being bossy does not necessarily make someone a good boss.

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Women bosses tend to continue the role of leadership at home. They often have to organize
everyone and their schedules. They often take the lead role in paying the bills and making sure
that the household runs successfully. As reported by Fetterolf, Remarkably, women complete
the majority of the housework even when they earn more money than their husband, or when
their careers are more prestigious than their husbands (Fetterolf and Rudman 3). Even if they
make more than their husband or significant other they tend to do more of the domestic labor.
According to Sweeting, While levels of chore sharing were somewhat higher among the
youngest age groups and at the later date, even among 20 to 34 year old respondents, around
70% of men and women reported that chores were done more by the woman, 18% of men and
14% women that they were equally shared, and only 12% men and 8% women that they were
done more by the man (Sweeting 9). I believe this attitude is ingrained in them from childhood.
As reported by Torres, Although there can be benefits to adhering to a traditional GRO (gender
role orientation), there are potential costs associated with maintaining one. For instance, Beal
(1994) noted that maintaining a traditional GRO can limit opportunities, perpetuates unfairness
in society, and ignores individuals talents. Furthermore, studies have found that women who
endorse traditional attitudes are less likely to become involved in paid employment, and tend to
earn less when they decide to work, compared to women who espouse egalitarian attitudes. Other
consequences of adopting traditional gender role attitudes include depressive symptoms, lower
self-efficacy, and suicidal thoughts (Torres 4). As the old saying goes, the women take care of
the household and the men make the money. Even when the women work they still have work at
home to do.
Men are expected from early childhood to be more dominant than women. Who says that a
woman is not able to do a job that is typically held by men? I was the first female to hold the

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position of ATM Cash Logistics Supervisor at Brinks Inc. I attained this position by working
hard and becoming the expert in the field. There are many women out there that can do as well
or better than their male counterparts. Women think differently than men and go about problems
differently. Because of this, I think that women may be better suited for some male dominated
careers. However, according to Brodesser-Akner, Women in senior leadership may be punished
if they dont sugarcoat their messages, says career and leadership expert Lindsey Pollak, author
of Getting from College to Career, because some people find a powerful woman intimidating
(Brodesser-Akner).
According to the below study, job opening are posted with certain wording for a retail sales
manager. A company searching for a female applicant will use words and phrases similar to these
examples below.
As stated in, Evidence That Gendered Wording In Job Advertisements Exist And Sustains
Gender Inequality by Gaucher, Company Description: Our hope is to be the best employer in
clothing retail by providing a pleasant and rewarding employment experience. We nurture and
support our employees, expecting, that they will become committed to their chosen career.
Qualifications: Full-time, flexible availability.
Cheerful, with excellent communications skills.
Capable of working with minimal supervision
Responsibilities:

Can motivate others to reach their potential as employees.

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You will be the head of our fast-paced store, with further opportunities for
career development.
Youll develop interpersonal skills and understanding of business.
Be a role model for your store, representing our exclusive brand. (Gaucher
16).
On the other hand, a company searching for a male applicant for the same job will likely
post the below description.
Company Description: Our ambition is to be the best employer in clothing retail by
delivering a rewarding employment experience. We will challenge our employees to be proud of
their chosen career.
Qualifications: Full-time, variable availability.
Strong communications skills.
Ability to work independently.
Responsibilities:

Can challenge others to reach their potential as employees.

You will be the boss of our fast-paced store, with further opportunities
career advancement.
Youll develop leadership skills and learn business principles.
Be a leader in your store, representing our exclusive brand. (Gaucher 16).

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Although the job is same the person they are looking for is gender specific. Even though the
descriptions of these jobs are different they are for the same job. The job entitlement is different.
The masculine version sounds more important and prestigious than that of the feminine version.
Personally, even though I am female, I would be more inclined to apply for the masculine
version of this job.
In conclusion, females can be very productive and supportive bosses. There are many
risks along the way. How they were raised, how they were treated, and how they choose to lead.
Ive worked for a lot of women, some of whom were good bosses and some of whom were bad.
They were all feeling their way. If they didnt give me everything I wanted in a boss, it wasnt
because they were women. Its because they werent perfect. Nobody is. But each of us deserves
to be judged on our own merits, not as a stand-in for our entire sex. Yes, complain about your
woman boss, if she deserves it. Just dont complain about your boss because shes a woman
(Brodesser-Akner 5). Every boss is different. The laid-back type of boss is my choice. Whats
yours?

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Work Cited

Boney, Jeffrey L. As we Leave Womens History Month, Remember: Im Not Bossy, I Am the
Boss. Mississippi Link: 12. Mar. 2014. ProQuest. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.
This article goes over the differences between how women are bossy and men are leaders. This
article was chosen because it helps to illustrate the double-standard between men and women.

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Mr. Boney is a journalist for the Mississippi Link. This article is from 2014. I believe this article
will benefit my paper because it illustrated that double-standard.
Brodesser-Akner, Taffy. Why Are We So Hard on Women Bosses? Cosmopolitan 04 2014: 134,
ProQuest. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.
This article reviews the differences between male bosses and women bosses and how they are
regarded. This article was chosen because it helps to illustrate that men and women bosses are
treated differently. Mrs. Brodesser-Akner is a journalist for Cosmopolitan. This article was
published in 2014. I believe this article will benefit my paper because it illustrated how women
bosses are regarded differently from male bosses.
Drexler, Peggy. REVIEW --- The Tyranny of the Queen Bee --- Women Who Reached Positions of
Power are supposed to be Mentors to those Who Followed But Something is Amiss in the
Professional Sisterhood. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition ed. Mar 02 2013. ProQuest. Web.
28 Oct. 2015.
This article goes over the Queen Bee mentality and how it affects other women in the workplace.
This article was chosen because it brings a name to women who let the power go to their heads.
This article is an opposing view. Mrs. Drexler is a journalist for the Wall Street Journal, Eastern
edition. This article was published in 2013. I believe this article will benefit my paper because it
illustrates how some women act as the boss. My viewpoint is that not all women bosses are this
way.
Fetterolf, Janell C., and Laurie A. Rudman. Gender Inequality in the Home: The Role of Relative
Income, Support for Traditional Gender Roles, and Perceived Entitlement. Gender Issues 31.3-4
(2014): 219-37. ProQuest. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.

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This scholarly journal goes over the differences in earning between men and women. It also
reviews the differences between how men and women handle the household. This article was
chosen for its statistics. Fetterolf and Rudman are psychologist as the State University of New
Jersey. This article was published in 2014. I believe this article will benefit my paper because it
shows relatively current statistics.
Gaucher, Danielle, Justin Friesen, and Aaron C. Kay. Evidence That Gendered Wording In Job
Advertisements Exist And Sustains Gender Inequality. Journal of Personality And Social
Psychology 101.1 (2011): 109-128 PsycARTICLES. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
This scholarly journal goes over how job wording hurts women getting certain jobs. This article
was chosen as an opposition to my paper. Gaucher and Friesen work at the University of
Waterloo and Kay works at Duke University. This article was published in 2011. I believe this
article will benefit my paper because it shows and opposition to my stance on women in the
workplace.
Sweeting, Helen, et al. Changing Gender Roles and Attitudes and Their Implications for Wellbeing Around the New Millennium. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 49.5
(2014): 791-809. ProQuest. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
This scholarly journal gives evidence that gender role attitudes and actual gender roles impact on
well-being. This article was chosen for the research within. Sweeting, Bhaskar, Popham, and
Hunt work in the Social and Public Sciences Unit at the University of Glasgow and Benzeval
work for the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex. This article
was published in 2014. I believe this article will benefit my paper because of the research within.

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Torres, Nora. Womens Gender Role Orientation and Attitudes Toward Family and Occupational
Roles: Influences of their Perceptions of Maternal Gender Role Orientation and Protection.
AAI3537500 ProQuest. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
This Doctoral Project provides information on the differences between how women looked at
work and school over time. This article was chose for the research within. Torres is a Doctoral
student at Pace University. This article was published in 2013. I believe this article will benefit
my paper because of the research within.