Woman as boss: successful and popular - how does that work?
Doris Hartmann
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: Can a woman be both popular and successful in the job?
Doris Hartmann: Whether she is equally successful and popular depends on what she defines her success to be. If the authority is not doubted professionally and the colleagues are taken for them thanks to their personality, that is optimal. However, this is always a balancing act between person and thing. And not everyone can balance.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: Does she have to decide at some point between the popularity of colleagues and superiors?
Doris Hartmann: It depends on how confident she is, what her role understanding is based on. If she feels dependent on the recognition of the team, supervisors will not appreciate that. If she adapts strongly to authority instead, the relationship with the team suffers. Only those who do their job sovereignly and take on clear, well-founded positions in conflicts can be appreciated by bosses and colleagues alike.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: Does Excessive Harmony Need Be Based on Wrong Expectations of the Workplace?
Doris Hartmann: In the single culture, the company often comes to the place where people are looking for a replacement family. The consequence: Teams are converted for their own personal interests.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: Is women a harmonious atmosphere in the job more important than men?
Doris Hartmann: No. However, men learn faster to live the laws of competition. They also have a good sense of what they need to do to achieve something in a company. This functional view is missing many women. They also have a harder time selling men well than men. For them, the profession is above all a piece of self-realization, they do not want power and influence in the first place, but recognition in order to be able to develop.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: Are women more susceptible to blackmail?
Doris Hartmann: That depends on the woman, but from the point of view already. Women feel they need to work more than others to gain more recognition. That is a mistake. Whoever does everything, squanders his qualities. Women then become diligent girls, an allegedly irreplaceable interface in the team.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: What's negative about that?
Doris Hartmann: Anyone who lets himself be pushed into this role - or voluntarily accepts it - loses profile. If a woman is constantly busy in the job of trying to please everyone, her specialist core competencies are blurred. Once she is the hardworking girl for everyone, she usually gets stuck in this position. She works a lot, but never gets promoted or better paid.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: How can women avoid being constantly harnessed by others?
Doris Hartmann: Women have to be faster. If you already know that the boss likes to arrange them for the weekend service, they have to go to him and talk about other options. It does not help to say no, because it creates a power struggle they can not win. Instead, you should present three alternative solutions to the problem. This also sharpens the profile, because the solution competence of the employee becomes clear. That does not mean that they should never say no. This is even important with inappropriate instructions. They do not make themselves popular, but win something much more precious: Respect.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: How important is it for the career to be able to withstand tensions with colleagues and superiors?
Doris Hartmann: It's crucial. If you want to get ahead, you not only have to rigorously pursue your task but also be able to represent the decisions of the company management, even against your own position. This may be quite difficult in conflict situations - redundancies or restructuring. But there is no alternative.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: So you have to remain loyal to the company in any case?
Doris Hartmann: Or you have to leave if you can no longer support the business policy.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: Careers are said to feel praised for being unpopular with colleagues and subordinates. Is that actually an indicator of successful work?
Doris Hartmann: Not if you want to or have to work together with a team in the long term. Many processes are supposed to run faster and more efficiently today, and that's only possible if a team is well managed. Position sharks are usually not suitable for this purpose. If you count on making your way up to make enemies, you should know that you always see yourself twice in your life. This can be a hindrance to your career.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: Especially executives who are new in their function, often find employees who begrudge them this job, possibly even intrigue. How do you stay calm?
Doris Hartmann: Executives must not remain relaxed at all, they must be highly attentive and know every morning: "Now I enter enemy territory." This also means that they approach conflicts very openly and very directly and always remain on the offensive. You must constantly check whether the opponent is doing the thing or harms them. And that goes up to a decision like this: for or against one.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: That sounds hard.
Doris Hartmann: That's it too. But there is no alternative. If women want to be leaders, they just have to know that they will never be popular. Respected, yes, but not popular. That's not meant personally, it's just because of the role. Leadership can only be who can stand it. And they must also be able to withstand that they are alone with their decisions. Even among colleagues at the same level, they can rarely communicate because they compete with each other for the next highest position. That is why coaching is experiencing such a boom: because many executives are not able to withstand this pressure on their own and are looking for support.
Learn leadership
Doris Hartmann
Doris Hartmann, longtime leader of the ChroniquesDuVasteMonde professional seminars, now also organizes the job coaching "Leadership through Personality" in Hamburg. Information and registration at www.dorishartmann.de, Tel. 040/41 70 51, Fax 040/44 42 96 or E-Mail:
