I favor "Empowering Excellence" over "Banning Bossy"... here's why!

It is time, to own our power, and be our best. Lean In, Girls, here is the secret.  You have, within you, right now, at this moment, EVERYTHING you need to be successful, no matter what negative words people say?  How do you know if you are doing something worthwhile?  SOMEONE is going to notice!  They might try to deter you.  Dream, Lead, Do.  Build your Belief and Do more. Go find someone you admire, who has done something meaningful and courageous against the odds, observe them.  Interview them.. Ask them what they did to empower excellence, overcome adversity, and recognize their goals. This is not an impossible dream.. It is a practical vision, whose time is now. 

This Ban Bossy effort, a GirlScounts and Sheryl Sandberg foundation "LeanIn" intent is to empower women.  Lean-ing in to learn is powerful. There are tangible things we can be doing to empower excellence but  "banning bossy".  is misdirected.  

Women set the stage for being the change they want to see in business.  "Banning bossy", slows progress, detracting from empowerment while we "FIRST" convince everyone to pay fair.  Let us lead by example, a focus on what priorities matter more than crowd control. 

WOMEN LEAD, AND ALWAYS HAVE HAD THIS PLACE:  History has introduced us to Ada Lovelace, the FIRST Computer Programmer in the 1800s. Women have been using a gift for matching people with process and advancing technology for as long as we have "had" technology. 

WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES CREATE JOBS AND MONEY: Nationally, women-owned businesses have increased 59% since 1997.  The number and economic influence is resulting in 8.6 million Women owned businesses employing  and producing jobs that employ 7.8 people and are actively producing $1.3 Trillion in sales. (1)

"BOSSY IS NOT THE BIGGEST PROBLEM" Women make up 46.9% of the labor force and comprise 51.5% of management and professional positions. (2)  Let us develop our Leadership and Business Capacity!  

Women Lead in Business Ownership, but only 23 women represent CEO roles in the Fortune 1000 List, which means the margin for improvement from 4.6% is huge! (3)

Women today are faced with inequities that we can transform, propagate, defy, or comply to.  Equal pay and opportunity for equal skills represents a far bigger issue than being called "Bossy".  77% Pay inequity for Women Professionals compared to their Male Counterparts. (4)  

What if instead of insisting the playground games we operate under must change for us to be valued, we focus our energy on creating a value that can not be undermined and does not insist upon changing everyones language to set the stage to be productive? 

"Owning our Power" includes some other elements way more compelling towards "empowering excellence".  Empowered Excellence is a managed focus on the things that matter: 

• Leading well 
• Partnering well
• Dealing with distraction  
• Delivering results

 As a woman in IT, I lived the challenges, and "bossy" was nice compared to what we often heard.  What if the vision, mission and values we produced were so compelling that other's criticism would not stop progress?  Let us focus on that!  Leading solutions requires engaging the right people, communicating, modeling, focus and producing a sustainable vision on what we are expected to do. 

Can I be tough enough? Or gentle enough to fit in?  Yes it IS a dichotomy, that really does NOT come down to being as bad or aggressive as your competition. Nor does it require everyone speak differently for the dialogue to change.   The answer is really, can I communicate authentically, strongly and positively, without losing myself , in fear, aggression or distraction.  

The problem is not competitive amplification, being the boardroom's loudest, most angry, and fearless to match others, the SOLUTION is can I articulate what it is we must do, set the stage, and collaborate or lead change effectively?  Can I support a compelling vision that recognizes fear and engages support that is needed, authentically, realistically? 

Women should lead, learn, and mentor with one another.  We are best when we are striving, communicating and growing something meaningful in business.  Relationships matter, especially when trying to implement something innovative that has never been done.  Strategies and support for change is key.  It involves hearing detractors for what they are-- meaningful direction, feedback, and part of the picture.  

Footnotes: 

• 1. American Express “OPEN State of Women-Owned Businesses 2013”
• 2. Catalyst "Statistical Overview of Women in the Workplace"
• 3. Catalyst "Women CEOS of the Fortune 1000"
• 4. AAUW "The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap 2014" 

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Dawn Christine Khan is an ITIL consultant with a passion for IT Best Practices for results.  Dawn has helped Global Fortune 500 Companies set strategies to optimize social media, deliver business value and enable innovation. Dawn was a 10 year Board Member of Denver Metro Help Desk Institute.  Dawn has blogged, spoken, and for served on several Global Business Best Practices Panels sharing an enthusiasm for collaboration:  positive business change that creates or extends innovation and creates opportunity.