While we don’t know if Hillary will succeed in becoming the biggest boss out there, some of us already live with the reality of having a female boss. Whether you like her or not, she has the power to advance our careers, increase our earnings and improve our comfort or quality of life at work. Males and females are wired differently and as such lead and manage differently. Since machismo is so entrenched in our culture and often shows up in unconscious ways, it is critical that we be mindful of our challenging interactions with our female boss(es). Below are some practicable tips on how to best handle working for una jefa.
Mind Your Cultural Norms
Once I made the futile mistake of saying “Good morning, honey!” to my boss. Quickly realizing my mistake (and thinking of my money) humbled myself and apologized. We, as Latino men, tend to be charismatic individuals that like to touch and hug and punctuate our sentences with suggestive and sweet words. This works – with the women in our personal lives. This polarizing approach doesn’t go over well in cross-gender relationships that have a power and control dynamic. You have to be mindful and conscious of your behaviors and language at work and keep it at a professional level only. There’s too great of a risk that your boss may assume you’re getting too friendly or don’t respect her position if you refer to her with words like “sweetheart” or “querida.”