Women face many challenges in the professional world. Gender discrimination, non-equal pay, being looked over for promotion, and fighting a constant “boys club” culture are just a few things women have to encounter throughout their careers. Fortunately, many women are standing up and taking control of their own destiny. In today’s society, we have a whole generation of “girl bosses”. A girl boss can be an entrepreneur, a corporate employee, or even a student. Whatever it is you’re pursuing, you can be a girl boss within that realm.
Don’t believe it, check this out. A girl boss is someone who has the confidence to be the best at what she does, no matter what it is. She is a woman of standard, who knows how to assert herself, but compromise when necessary. She stands for equality and doesn’t take pride in putting others down. She understands that being a boss doesn’t mean being bossy.
Do you kinda get the picture? Now, you may be wondering, “How can I become a girl boss?”. Well, first you must let go of the typical “girl boss” stereotype that we saw in The Devil Wears Prada and Mean Girls. You don’t have to pattern behind Meryl Streep or Regina George, trust, there are enough of them in the world. Instead, think of Pam from The Office, or Jessica Day in New Girl, or Rachel and Monica in Friends.
Not only were these women some of our favorite characters growing up, they were all girl bosses in their own way. Although they had mishaps along the way, they always took care of business and they were great at their jobs. Joybird, a home decor store, illustrated what the WFH spaces of these characters would like, and even outlined a few scenarios of how these women would tackle WFH during the pandemic. Pretty cool, right.
Along with keeping positive views of girl bosses in mind, here are a few more tips that will help you level up and become the girl boss you always dreamed you could be.
Be confident in yourself and abilities
As mentioned before, be confident in yourself and your abilities. Whatever you choose to lend your talents and skillset to, know that you are great! You first have to believe in yourself, before anyone else can believe in you. Insecurity radiates, just as much as confidence. People can sense when you’re not confident in what you’re doing, and it will be hard for anyone to take you seriously as a boss if you don’t believe you’re a boss.
Stand up for what you believe in
Know when and how to insert yourself. You don’t have to put your foot down on every single issue, but you can’t let everything slide either. There is a balance, and you must find it. However, your opinion is valuable on a large and small scale. Let your voice be heard.
Set attainable goals for yourself
There is nothing wrong with dreaming big, but set goals that you are confident you can achieve for yourself, in the amount of time set. You can start by setting short and long term goals. For example, “In one year I want to request a pay increase.” This is a short term goal, that allows you enough time to demonstrate your work ethic and leverage a pay increase.
Know what you want and how to ask for it
Whether it is a promotion, pay increase, project, or business meeting don’t be afraid to ask for it. However, the saying goes, “It’s not what you say, but how you say it”. Depending on the situation, you’ll have to approach what you want differently.
Be considerate of others
Lastly, a real leader respects others’ backgrounds, opinions, roles, and work. You must be considerate of other people if you want to gain respect as a boss. No one likes a mean girl. People may show respect out of fear, but that isn’t the type of respect you want. Trust, you’ll catch a lot more bees with honey instead of vinegar.
Now, go take over the world, girl boss!