Deal With Overbearing and Bossy Women

Dealing with an overbearing female boss or colleague? Finding your female spouse or friend a bit too bossy? Both you and the bossy lady are having boundary issues and you're likely to have more success in relating to them if you change your perspective.

Steps

 * 1)  Think about why you find some women overbearing or bossy. Are they asking you to do things you don't want to do? Are they making you feel obliged to undertake tasks that you would not normally bother yourself with? Are they demanding of your time/skills/knowledge? Are they simply running over you roughshod because they are in a position of superiority?
 * 2)  Think about whether you are adding layers to the situation. Are you feeling out of sorts because these women are in a senior position to you? Or are you feeling angry with women generally? Or, if you are a woman, do you resent what they are doing compared with what you're doing?
 * 3)  Try to view the situation objectively. Are you placing yourself in a position to allow them to push you around by agreeing to their requests? Are they really as bossy and overbearing as you would like to think of them being, or are they simply doing their job, or trying to motivate you when you're not performing at all?
 * 4)  Get assertiveness training. Teach yourself how to cope with overbearing and bossy people in general. In other words, don't associate these traits with women alone; they just happen to be personality traits of some people and you just happen to be responding in a way that makes you feel bad. When you have better skills at handling people who make demanding requests and refuse to take no for an answer, it is probable that you'll change your labeling of these women in your life and start seeing them respond to you more positively.
 * 5) If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Stop placing yourself in their line of fire if it gets to you so much. When you view people negatively all the time, you begin to wear "victim" on your face, in your movements, and in general. Your view of the world reflects this and people respond to what you are presenting. If you don't want to change your perspective, simply keep out of range.