DEAR DIARY: Reasons why I like my female boss

I hear a lot of stories about women in the workplace and how women don’t get along when the boss is female. The first theory I hear is that when a woman is in power, there is a clash of energies – jealousy and envy on the rise.

The second theory is that when the boss is male, he tends to give ‘favours’ to his female subordinates, just because they are women. And since female bosses want their subordinates to prove themselves worthy of their position, they become like Pharaoh; or your mother-in-law; or your high school principal.

They increase the labour, create ridiculous difficult working conditions and expect to be treated like goddesses. And in a way, to be worshiped for whom they are. Regardless of why some female bosses are hard to work with, this is sad to hear.

I cannot testify this from experience because I for one have the best female-bosses experiences. My first immediate boss was a lady. She was the kind of woman who knew how to shove her way through in the male-dominated world. I think women should support women – there is so much to deal with already. To add a cat fight wouldn’t be fair.

My current boss is also a lady and I must say she is the best boss in the world. This is not because she is a woman, but because she is a leader at heart. Her leadership makes me want to be a better leader as well.

The other day, she came to my desk, sat next to me and started complimenting a story I had written some weeks ago. As she was talking, I wasn’t receiving the praise. I was just waiting for her to say ‘but’ and get to the real point, but she didn’t.

You know how people usually start with praise and then end up telling you what you did wrong? Yes, that. She doesn’t have that. If you did well, let’s talk about it. If you did badly, let’s not soak into the mistake but see ways of improving your craft. There is just warmth around her that makes you want to be led by her without her demanding respect verbally.

I wish she would hold leadership workshops for all female-bosses, write the next best seller on leadership, drawing narratives from her own life. When the one you lead feels that they are valued, that is how you gain the most from them.

That is what she always tells me. That is her principle. And ladies, she lives by her word and bears the fruit of it. This week she celebrated her birthday, I would like to take this opportunity to wish her a happy birthday and a life filled with merriment