How do I deal with a new female manager?

Dear Aunty B,

I had trouble with a female manager at a previous job who seemed to resent my ambition, felt threatened by me and would not assist me in anyway even though I asked her to mentor me! In the end I was forced to leave.

I am about to start a new job and have learnt that I will be reporting to a female. This is making me nervous. Do you have any tips on how to deal with this, as I have never had a problem with a male manager? I have several female friends who have also reported similar issues with female managers.

Dianne,
Sydney

Dear Dianne,

Forget the male/female thing. You can get an insecure male or female manager. I think women get singled out for this type of criticism because other women expect more from them. They think you’re a woman: you should give me extra help. Therefore unrealistic expectations might be set up and then not fulfilled, leading to a greater sense of disappointment that one might not have with their male managers.

I have never had a problem with a female manager – and as a boss I don’t single out either females or males for special treatment. In fact, in my circle of mentors I have some wonderful smart businesswomen whom I find enormously inspirational.

In fact, I was answered a recent Aunty B the other day and referred to some survey results from female entrepreneurs. It was interesting that successful female entrepreneurs claim that other women were a significant help when expanding their business. More women said that businesswomen were a help than businessmen. And 40% say female networks were also a very significant help.

So open your mind. Move on from your past experience and look forward to your new position!

Good luck,
Your Aunty B

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