Is your boss a Dragon Lady?
Everyone has had a bad boss or two in their day.
But have you ever worked for DRAGON LADY?
What is a Dragon Lady boss, you ask? Here are some examples of what a Dragon Lady boss does:
There’s the story of a female boss who didn’t pay her workers before Christmas vacation and then called a meeting at 9 am the day after New Years. She opened the meeting with a condescending ‘So, Santa gave you everything you wanted?’ and then she surveyed the room and told each of her unpaid employees what her New Year’s resolutions should be.
Then there’s the boss who runs marathons, back-to-back meetings without providing coffee or even a glass of water for those caught.
Who can forgive the boss who demands you complete a task and then works behind your back to make sure your task never gets done?
Oh wait, there’s one more: that boss who makes you slave for pennies and then constantly tells you you shouldn’t ask for a raise because “we’re in this together.”
Urban legends, right? No. These Dragon Ladies exist, and unfortunately, the aforementioned examples were all from the same woman.
She used to be my boss a long time ago.
My boss is gone, but she has had an effect on my life: because of her, I strive to be a mentor, not a TORMENTER, to the professional women I work with on a daily basis.
The way I see it, someone needs to stand up for nameless, faceless worker bees. And the women who have made it must go back to mentor others. It doesn’t take much to dish out candid advice on how to polish a professional image and ultimately work your way up the corporate ladder.
And when it comes to the Dragon Lady bosses, it’s up to the powers that be to clean house.
After all, if you are a business owner, Dragon Lady managers are walking their young female talent out the front door. If you are an entrepreneur doing business with a Dragon Lady business owner, your overworked and abused team may not give you their best.
If you want to succeed, you have to send the Dragon Lady packing, Corporate America.
You have to clean the house.
Cleaning house, that is, regrouping and reassessing which employers/managers/partnerships etc. are meeting your expectations, is a cumbersome but necessary task if you want to keep your business afloat.
Pride, principles, and office politics can surely get in the way when it comes time to clean house, and trust me, businesswomen can know this better than most. However, there are two golden rules to follow when cleaning the house: 1). Always cultivate the roses; and 2). Always pull weeds.
Here are some tips to help you determine if there are hidden weeds in your rose garden:
How to spot a rose
(Employees/suppliers/cultivating associations)
She is competent and confident rather than controlling. You can assign a task and not feel inclined to track or micromanage.
He is an agile, multitasking person who responds quickly to new challenges.
She is an entrepreneur, a continuous learner and a leader; she can implement a company training program.
You have new ideas that, when implemented, positively influence the profitability of the company.
She arrives to work on time and will stay longer if necessary.
She is respectful and works well with a group of subordinates and alone.
How to spot a weed
(Employees/suppliers/associations you select)
There is a high turnover rate in your department.
Writes numerous disciplinary memos; she has increased employee absenteeism rates.
You rarely, if ever, suggest a subordinate for a raise or promotion.
She is a disruptive whiner who inspires others to be disruptive whiners. Or, she’s an intrusive micro-manager who demands your full attention at all times.
There is evidence of alcohol or substance abuse.
Loyalty and veracity are concepts that she does not know; especially when it comes to her subordinates.
In his opinion, pestering is essential for an employee to complete a task.
Dragon Lady’s managers will drain your business unnecessarily, if you let them.
Consult with your hiring manager or a trusted employee rights attorney and clean house immediately; trying to please a Dragon Lady and/or delaying the inevitable is a waste of time and energy.
On the other hand, good managers will produce more profit for each employee they supervise, because they realize that it is in their best interest to reward and promote subordinates accordingly.
The good manager is usually among the movers and shakers of business, entertainment, and politics, often coming together to connect, network, and impart their wisdom.
Sometimes it may seem hard to find, but it’s out there.
And if you are a professional woman, your working life will be fulfilled if your paths ever meet.
Carpe Diem.
