Have you noticed that EVERYTHING is about being a BOSS these days?
Boss Behavior
Boss Moves
Boss Mode
Like a Boss
Boss Up
Girl Boss
And the list goes on…
I am usually not the one who quickly hops on trends but I feel the need to take a bite out of this one. What does it mean to be a B.O.S.S? In this post, we’re going beyond the traditional sense of the term. It is more than just your title and supervisory status! Being a boss is an INTERNAL stance that guides how you handle your business. This means that you need not get caught up in positions and promotions before you start exhibiting Boss behavior.
No matter what level you’re at in your career journey, you can be a B.O.S.S. In fact, this mindset is what gives your brand a boost, provides recognition for upwardly mobility, and builds authority for your skillset. This is not about ego. Parading around a big ego, as if you suddenly became a more important person due to a status upgrade, is the reason why most people aren’t aware of their inner power – especially introverts. Whether you’re entry-level or senior management, the Tipping Point Season or Sage Season, you can secure success and respect in your career journey by embodying the true meaning of being a B.O.S.S:
B – Bravery
As I mentioned in my blog You Need to Retreat Before You Level Up, God told me that
sometimes leaders walk alone. This usually comes on the heels of a brave action or position. It takes bravery to stand on your values even when they’re not popular. It takes bravery to enforce your boundaries when your supervisor, colleagues, or friends won’t like them. It takes bravery to speak up or give your opinion in a new situation. You can’t be bound by the insecurities of other people or the norms of society and then lead initiatives, people, and movements! If you struggle with being brave or courageous, it means that you aren’t confident in your character.
Let me point out that bravery isn’t brashness. Bravery announces your strength without you saying a word. Brashness is in your face when no one asked you to be. I celebrate confidence all day but some people mistake this as an excuse to ignore others’ boundaries to get what they want (Yes narcissists I’m talking to you!). Not only is this rude but it will make people silently resent you in the workplace – which will suffocate progress in your career journey.
O – Objectivity
The most respected people who experience consistent promotion and success are those who are objective. Objective bosses are those who can make sound decisions and discern folks’ character without allowing their personal feelings or opinions to skew their judgement. This both a delicate dance and powerful tool for those who are secure in who they are and what they bring to the table. What does this look like in the workplace?
A common situation is getting in agreement with the direction of your company even if it doesn’t directly benefit you. Yikes! Those with true B.O.S.S. behavior can see the company’s perspective and support the direction while choosing not to feel personally slighted. You get extra bonus points for strategizing how you can bring solutions to the blind spots in the process 😉.
Another example involves your workplace buddies. Forming alliances definitely helps the happiness factor at your job, however, there may come a time when you have to side with the facts, discern the biases, and respond with grace when your buddies approach to a project isn’t best. You are primarily responsible for performing your tasks well! That means that you must also separate your OWN bias and personal feelings for these folks to accomplish the goal.
S – Self-Awareness
Professional, how do you REALLY get down? Do you even know? You can’t truly be a successful and respected B.O.S.S. if you remain unaware of your behaviors, patterns, and idiosyncrasies. Otherwise, you’re a bull in a china shop shattering everything (and everyone) in your path. Self-awareness gives you a major advantage no matter your position because it gives you some control within your environment. Having this control makes it difficult for you to be knocked off your square by people or unexpected circumstances. Self-Awareness gives you B.O.S.S. status because it allows you to maneuver around your triggers, have superior time management, and take constructive criticism like a champ. This also gives you keen discernment of your colleagues’ motives and their lack of self-awareness. This allows you to know where your lane is, own it, and get out of the way of folks’ sabotaging tendencies.
S – Stability
Emotions make you cry sometimes (in my H-Town voice, lol!). Seriously though, keeping cool, calm, and collected goes a long way as a true B.O.S.S. Matters happen out of your control in the workplace that disrupt your best laid out plans. Keeping an “at-ease” disposition, radiates confidence regardless of whether you’re screaming on the inside or not. This shows your supervisors and colleagues that you aren’t easily rocked when unexpected changes happen and that you remain stable in the midst of chaos. Your team needs to know they can depend on you and that the quality of your work and momentum won’t be affected.
At the end of the day, the job wants to know that you can perform your job well, you can do so consistently, and can you maintain productivity when the company needs to shift gears. Your stability not only makes you a trusted source and valuable asset to the company (pillars for salary negotiation), but it also allows you to set the standard for how everyone else on the team needs to behave. This is how you start carving out your path to leadership roles! On the other hand, when you get visibly bent out of shape, it shakes people’s trust in you (which can be extremely challenging to come back from) and it spoils the power of what you bring to the table.
Now evaluate yourself. Are you able to start referring to yourself as a B.O.S.S? If not, what’s missing? Before you answer that remember that it has NOTHING to do with the position you hold today. The power of a true boss steps into a room before their ever resume does.
No more excuses!