High Achieving Women: How To Get Your Boss to Be Your Ally

To all the high-achieving women out there, start asking yourself: What would a privileged man do?

A friend recently shared that when faced with a dicey work situation, she & her female co-workers would ask themselves one question:

WWJD = What Would Josh do?

You know Josh.

He's that guy, the affable one, who the boss likes, who doesn't seem to slave over every task and definitely isn't doing the bitch work. 

The one who seems to know how to get a promotion all too well. He probably makes more than you. He knows where he's good and talks about it pretty freely. 

He gets the plumb assignments, the boss' ear, takes the last muffin at the Monday morning meeting–enjoys THE HELL out of every crumb. 

Some call him privileged. Entitled. A douche. To Josh, well, he's just being Josh and no matter what you think:

You could learn how to get a promotion from Josh. 

Here's a few thing Josh does:

• When he took this job, he asked for the high end of the salary he wanted up front. If they told him it wasn't possible, he didn't care, he knew there was always an exception to the rule.

• He knows what he wants to be known for. If he's good at something, he doesn't equivocate. Even if he actually isn't as good as he says - he knows it's good enough and leaves it at that. If it's true to him, others will believe the hype.

• No one asks him to make copies or schedule because it's clear he wouldn't. If he started, it would hurt his status. He gets that. He's matter of fact about what he's concentrated on & offers an alternative that solves the problem. That settles the issue for the next time. He moves on & does his work.

• He regards the boss as an equal. Just another person who has a problem that Josh knows his talents addresses. Knowing his own value makes him feel worthy to talk about sports or his boss' kids. They act human toward each other. It's all goooood...

I admit, there are tons of Joshes who aren't this cool a customer & still get theirs. What I'm describing is the best version of Josh. The Platonic Josh, if you will. But you're ambitious AF so obviously you're going to be the best Josh there can be. 

Don't take my word for it. Other female CEOs admit it's their secret weapon.  Take Laila Alawa, CEO & Founder of The Tempest: 

“Yes, I feel [impostor syndrome] every single day. It’s probably not something that people want to hear from a CEO, but frankly, knowing that you’re steering a ship of talented individuals and a platform with over three million monthly users can sometimes make me ask the question, “How did I get here? Do I even deserve to be here?”

In order to combat it, I do something that may seem counterintuitive - I close my eyes and pretend that I woke up that morning as a privileged man who’s never been told he doesn’t belong. It never fails to reset my focus, and it’s a tactic I’ve taught dozens of staffers, fellows, and mentees. Women are taught to doubt themselves - so why not switch sides when you’re in the middle of that?”

OK - easier said than done. Of course. Always. And we can talk all we want about why it's unfair that Josh is the way he is. Or, we can stop judging, and take a page from his playbook and see what happens.

So here's a thought experiment:

Look at your next week.
What things invoke even a little bit of fear, discomfort or stretch for you?
Now: WWJD, lady?
Maybe you don't need to go full Josh, but could even 10% more Joshiness benefit your bottom line & sanity?

On that tip, let me get Joshy with you for a minute --

I help ambitious, hardworking mid-career women & people of color (men & women) to:

• ascend to be a major decision maker within their org

• gain sponsorship to start their own company

• scale their impact

By supporting them to:

• discover the next strategic move for their mission is

• understand what all their experience could ladder up to

• articulate their purpose, value & personal brand

• look & feel worthy of sponsorship to the people who hold the keys to their future

• navigate the next phase once they get there, too

• change cultures within their orgs & the rest of the world

It only takes 16 sessions. 4 months.
Curious? Learn more here.
Tired of waiting? Let's have a powerful conversation that moves you forward.