However, if you sit back and think, there may be certain very behavioral aspects to why women fail to reach the top positions even after being loyal and serving in the same organization for a large number of years.
One of these behavioral aspects is the habit that most women have of asking permissions. Even though it may seem that the actions are more habitual than anything else, the fact of the matter remains that it banishes the women in question to the stature of a child who is expected to ask for permissions and not take decisions on his own.
The act of asking permission is also often perceived as trying to put the responsibility of the decision to another person; in most cases the boss or superior. This obviously does not leave women in a very positive situation since the boss is likely to feel that the employee does not have the capability or the prudence to take an independent decision. It also implies that you do not have confidence in your own capabilities of making a decision. In fact, the more mundane the permission being sought is, the more harmful that is to the woman employee.
On the other hand, the opposite sex (men in this case), are far more independent in their decisions on an average. There are various instances to prove that a male manager is less likely to ask for permission than a woman manager is. In fact, men seem to have a habit of not asking for permission, taking their call and taking the good with the bad when it comes to the consequences. This is obviously perceived to be a more mature and adult manner of handling a situation.
To be able to consciously avoid making this error in your corporate life it is important to understand certain aspects and also make specific efforts to avoid asking for permissions and ‘go-aheads’ where none are required.
- Your boss wants you to take onus of the situation - The first thing to understand is that when you are a middle level manager, your boss is probably trying to evaluate you on the basis of your decision making skills in various situations. Do not feel that by checking what your boss feels about each and every idea that you have is part of flattering him or making him feel important. If you had a junior who took the assignment and then ran with it without troubling you too much and another who would keep coming back to you to confirm with you whether his thoughts on the assignment were right or not, whom would you evaluate as better? The answer is obvious when you look at it from your own team. Remember it is the same with your boss – he wants his next in line to assume authority.
- Understand the boundaries – While taking permissions for areas under your purview is considered bad, trying to assume more power than you have is also not a positive impression. The manner in which you can combat this confusion is to upfront understand what the boundaries are. Make a point to check with your superior initially about the various areas that you can make decisions for yourself and your team. Having said that, taking a further risk in certain situations is also a good idea, especially in cases where you know that the action will bear good results.
- Take risks – When you have an idea, try and have confidence in your own capabilities. Only if you feel that you have what it takes to take decisions during stressful, emergency and complicated situations will you be able to take action without feeling the need to check back with someone. Remember ‘high risk, high gain’. While playing safe may save you from the brickbats, it will not win you any bouquets as well.
- Inform other people when you have to – When you are taking decisions that impact other people in the organization, make sure that the tone of voice and the words that you choose to communicate indicate that you are informing them of your decisions and not seeking permission.
- Gathering opinions is fine - When you have to make decisions that are not easy to make, it is a good idea to bounce off your thoughts with a few colleagues you trust. However, even in that case, don’t go asking for advice from them. The whole idea is to brainstorm and that requires some thought from you upfront so that you can take your colleagues through your thought process. Deviations, caveats, holes in that argument should then be discussed.
History is full of women who rose to dizzying heights of popularity and they would never have done so if they had constantly been seeking permissions from someone else - neither for what they wanted to do in life nor for playing it safe while at their jobs. They have moved along without letting brickbats deter them from their purpose.
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