Preference: Man or Woman Boss

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No one that I know particularly enjoys having a boss. Assuming you must have a boss, do you prefer men or women bosses, and why?
 
I have no preference, but you now know of at least 1 person who enjoys having a boss. 🙂
 
The qualities I need in workplace supervisors have nothing to do with their sex.
 
I prefer a boss who has my back and believes in investing in his/her subordinates.

I don’t like working for a boss who is only focused on making him/herself look good to his/her boss and always trying to prove him/herself to others.

The issue that females used to have in the workplace is that they were often trying to prove themselves and prove that they can belong. But I think there are not many women who do not feel the need to prove they are equal to men; therefore, they are great bosses.

A good boss needs to be a good leader and be confident. Not insecure.

Both men and women can be insecure, terrible bosses. And both can be secure, great bosses.

NOTE: I don’t think feminists make good bosses, just like I don’t think chauvinistic, racist, selfish, greedy, lazy and/or ageist people don’t make good bosses.
God Bless.
 
No preference. Besides, I’ve stopped buying the idea that micro-managing is a trait that has anything to do with gender.
 
Groo said:
No one that I know particularly enjoys having a boss. Assuming you must have a boss, do you prefer men or women bosses, and why?
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Which man and which woman?

I prefer bosses that do not micromanage.
 
I have actually never had a bad manager and I have had both male and female managers.

I have been extremely lucky in this area.

So I have no preference.
 
Groo said:
No one that I know particularly enjoys having a boss. Assuming you must have a boss, do you prefer men or women bosses, and why?
Click to expand...
I don’t know about that. If you’ve ever been a boss, there are many days when having one seems a lot better than being one, LOL! 😃

A good boss is gold. Male, female–I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth! May the Lord lead them, bless them, and keep them!
 
Sarcelle said:
Which man and which woman?

I prefer bosses that do not micromanage.
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I also prefer bosses who do not micromanage.

And I have been pretty fortunate with my bosses. Most have been very good, male and female.

I wonder if there are some differences in style based on gender, though. Here are some of my observations based solely on my personal experiences…

Male bosses tend to…
  • Focus more on results
Female bosses tend to…
  • Focus more on process
Male bosses tend to…
  • Become emotional if you royally screw up the work (raised voice, desk pounding)
Female bosses tend to…
  • React less emotionally to major screwups, but still let you know you messed up
Male bosses tend to…
  • Let the smaller hiccups slide
Female bosses tend to…
  • Become anxious over small hiccups
Male bosses tend to…
  • Assume that not everything is going to go completely to plan
Female bosses tend to…
  • Be surprised if not everything goes according to plan, and try to fix that
Male bosses tend to …
  • Ask more questions about the work itself
Female bosses tend to…
  • Ask more questions about the presentation of the work
Male bosses tend to…
  • Want to understand the major points
Female bosses tend to…
  • Want to understand in detail and in full
Generally, I prefer male bosses. With male bosses, I feel that I am always going to know where I stand. If I do a good job, our work relationship is fine. If I screw up, I know there will be consequences.

With female bosses I am never quite sure where I stand. One day all is well and dandy, and the next day there’s a bunch of problems, or even hysterics in extreme cases.

One of the best bosses I ever had was a woman, so I know there must be many good female bosses. But I still prefer men as bosses. I guess I almost always feel like I know where they are coming from. Can’t tell sometimes with women.
 
I prefer a boss who simply gives me a handful of tasks then steps back for a few days without bugging me. So the gender is almost a non issue. But I’d prefer a man only because objecting or disagreeing with a course of action is possible without concern over whether or not gender is a factor.
 
Groo said:
…One of the best bosses I ever had was a woman, so I know there must be many good female bosses. But I still prefer men as bosses. I guess I almost always feel like I know where they are coming from. Can’t tell sometimes with women.
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Having a boss that you personally find predictable and whose judgment you find reasonable, fair, and effective is huge. Different employees have different expectations, so of course different people are going to find different management styles to be more help than hindrance.
 
HerCrazierHalf said:
I prefer a boss who simply gives me a handful of tasks then steps back for a few days without bugging me. So the gender is almost a non issue. But I’d prefer a man only because objecting or disagreeing with a course of action is possible without concern over whether or not gender is a factor.
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If you don’t mind sharing, could you elaborate on your last comment? Why would gender be a factor in agreeing or disagreeing with a course of action? If this is sensitive, feel free to ignore my question.

Love your handle!
 
EasterJoy said:
Having a boss that you personally find predictable and whose judgment you find reasonable, fair, and effective is huge. Different employees have different expectations, so of course different people are going to find different management styles to be more help than hindrance.
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Do you think gender plays a role in whether you find someone predictable and reasonable? In other words, it it easier to identify with a woman boss being a woman? Or is this perspective entirely independent of gender?
 
Groo said:
Do you think gender plays a role in whether you find someone predictable and reasonable? In other words, it it easier to identify with a woman boss being a woman? Or is this perspective entirely independent of gender?
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As chance would have it, although I am female, I grew up surrounded by men and boys. They seem easier for me to figure out. I don’t necessarily like them better or worse, but I’m more able to predict what they want and correctly interpret what they’re trying to say. I think it depends on whether your boss has a communication style and decision-making style that is close to what you are used to. For instance, if your boss thinks and acts like your father, it doesn’t matter so much that you don’t think and act like that yourself. It matters that you have a handle on how to interact with him. If your boss thinks and acts like your mother, that is great if you look up to your mom and have a good relationship with her, if you are used to accommodating how she operates. If your female boss drives you crazy in all the same ways your mom drives you crazy, then whether or not you are male or female, that boss is going to drive you crazy like no other boss can, LOL!!

I just want a boss I can figure out and that I think is fair. I don’t want to have to bite my tongue and dodge bullets all the time. Other women I know would rather have a female boss, though, because the female boss is quicker to pick up on their communication style. They sometimes feel that with many male bosses, you have to draw him a picture when it comes to social skills.

Men are not as clueless as some women seem to think, however. Some are just more likely to deal with communication they don’t want to hear by acting as if they didn’t hear it. IOW, they sometimes use the “men are clueless” thing to their advantage when they are no such thing. It’s like when women act helpless because they know their male co-workers want to jump in and do something without help. These are things they could do just fine if the men were not around, but if the guys want to do the work for the price of appreciation of their skills, why not? This is something that a guy might pull when there is a shirt to be ironed. If you seem incompetent, then for the price of being clucked at you get someone else to iron your shirt for you.

People are so funny! That is why it is so hard for me to say, “I want a male boss” or “I want a female boss.” I can think of work groups where I’d want a female boss, because of the group, and work groups where I’d want a male boss, because of the group. For myself, though, I want someone I can get a handle on. Give me that, and I can get along OK. I’m the youngest in a big family, so I’m used to that! 😉 😃
 
It depends on the person. I have had wonderful male bosses, I have had terrible male bosses. I have had wonderful female bosses, I have had terrible female bosses. I really don’t think being a good supervisor has anything to do with being male or female.
 
Groo said:
If you don’t mind sharing, could you elaborate on your last comment? Why would gender be a factor in agreeing or disagreeing with a course of action? If this is sensitive, feel free to ignore my question.

Love your handle!
Click to expand...
It is a slight preference. But the issue is that a lot of women feel that men talk over them or don’t value their opinion equally. And frankly they are not making it up. If I look carefully I can see it in certain interactions. The side effect is that it anything can be misconstrued and I have to be careful.

It is similar to how sexual harassment rules create a slightly hostile environment to men.
 
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