Dr. Stanley Fish wrote a facinating post today (Think Again , his NY Times blog) about the hatred some people hold for Hillary Clinton.  Dr. Fish characterizes  it as “crazy”; I agree. 

So, is it merely crazy people who have a problem with Hillary Clinton, a strong woman?

Eve Tahmincioglu reminds us of the Elle/MSNBC survey results originally published in March, 2007 that reported both men and women who expressed a preference, preferred to work for a man.

So maybe it’s more than just the completley  irrational people Dr. Fish wrote about who have an issue with strong women.  No doubt that Hillary Clinton is a strong woman.  But it seems that our discomfort with women in leadership  affects more than just the woman who is running to be America’s leader.  Any woman who assumes (or even aspires) to a leadership role must deal with gender stereotypes.  If she’s assertive, she  can be viewed as “aggressive” or even as a word that begins with “b”.  Yet if she is collaorative, she’s weak and wimpy.

So if you feel that you are being “tested” in ways your male colleagues are not,  what to do?

The most important thing is to realize that it’s probably not you .  I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t take it personally - hard to ignore these things -  but rather to  realize that expectations people have of how  of you , as a woman, should  behave run deep. 

No doubt, as a leader, you’ll have to work harder to engage people.  You’ll have to be decisive yet pleasant.  You’ll have to be in control but not be controlling.  In the end, the only antidote to stereotyping is proving them wrong. 

The good news is that chances are nobody at work “hates” you.    In the end, the only antidote to stereotyping is proving them wrong.    

TAGS: Coaching Tips, Women at Work, Women In the Professions