Vicarious Rocky

Took one of those card deck default work style/personality tests via COSE for my Women's Business Group. I thought it was interesting that most of us ladies default style incorporated pieces of the highly organized, dominant, less emotional types. However, we all agreed that those styles, after 4 years together, didn't seem pervasive in our group discussions or manner together. I proposed that perhaps older women in business (think 35+) are overcompensating for stereotypes with rigidness. When I interviewed for my first job in the early 90s, my future boss asked if I would be "crying" in my office when things got difficult. Yeesh. How unacceptable is THAT question now-a-days?

So it's no wonder women who faced those attitudes are not emotionally available at work and not interested in asking for help or talking to people about their troubles. Now, thanks to years of overcompensating for the "office weeping" misconception, it seems to me the new stereotype to overcome is -- "Queen of Ice / Bitch on Wheels." Today made me think of all this because our meeting had 4 women and 4 men -- all with various levels of seniority and job descriptions. I liked that.