Confidence…mistaken for being bossy

Published by author Tracy Cyril on April 08th, 2020

In this modern age confidence is an essential trait to have. Some persons are blessed with self confidence while others struggle with it. Most women in Managerial positions are at times critisized and challenged for being assertive, confident and structured by their colleagues especially the male ones.

From my experience for all who have been in contact with me for an extended period whether professionally or on in a social setting, they will agree that I am a confident individual. I can vividly remember while functioning in leadership roles; there were countless instances I was labeled as being bossy by colleagues, friends and family.

I was not and will not be phased by these labels because as a driven individual when your confidence speaks volumes and always gets the goals accomplished, there will always be nay-sayers. I believe confidence is understanding what needs to be done, how to get done and what are the expected results. While keeping a window for others to express their views, suggestions and ideas but making a final decision weighing the pros and cons with consideration for the most probable positive outcomes.

As a confident individual you should always be approachable, easy to communicate to, understanding, trustworthy, open minded, great listener, considerate to others and embody above average leadership skills. Kindly see below some situations where I was labeled as being bossy:

• In a group setting where I was not the leader of the group; however the leader was not pulling their weight and I would make suggestions regarding delegating tasks to group members; and ensured each piece of the project was cohesive. Then after the project was successfully completed, the nay sayers had so much to say.
• In a supervisory role I would caution an individual on two separate occasions regarding unacceptable behavior or performance and that said individual continued with the exact behavior on a third occasion then I reported them to Management. Individual and co-workers had so much to say.
• In another group setting where I realized after tasks have been delegated to group members, while deadlines was fast approaching certain group members were not pulling their weight; I would complete their assigned tasks and at the end of the project make a clear notification that they did not contribute to the project and they do not deserve any credits.

I believe persons place labels on others mainly because they feel intimidated, inadequate, insecure, they lack self confidence and most are just bias or mean.

Kindly share your feedback on this article. Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks again for your time and support. Blessings