Understanding The Boss Lady – 10 Irrefutable Characteristics
Her poise. Her carriage. Her courage.
Madame boss lady walked boldly into the room leaving mouths wide open as the scent of her presence filled the entire room. She took her seat at the table and boy! She meant business.
For many years, centuries even, ladies have been left to the mundane acts of waiting on tables, doing the dishes, and doing the laundry. However, with the evolution of society and civilization gradually taking center stage, there is a reorientation and a new kind of lady is slowly emerging. She is the ‘boss lady.’
Who’s she? Well, she’s a lady who’s a boss (that’s literally, though). To define who she is, it would be proper to look closely at what the two words, ‘boss’ and ‘lady’ mean. A boss is a person in charge of a business or company. A lady on the other hand is an adult female human (generically) or a woman of breeding, higher authority, or class (to be specific). So then, a boss lady is a woman with class who is in charge of her business (in this case, her life), and acts as one with authority.
When God created the earth, He gave a command for mankind to rule and subdue the earth. Now, He did not give this command to just the male folk but to the female folk also (Gen.1:27-28). A boss lady is one who is aware of her God-given heritage and does not live any less than who God has called her to be.
A boss lady is a woman who knows her worth, is accountable to herself, and changes the narrative of society. She is a woman who walks with her head held high and does not see herself as beneath others or unfortunate. She’s the lady in control.
Now that you know a little about who a boss lady is, I’m sure you can’t wait to get the whole gist about her. Here are some of her conspicuous characteristics:
1) SHE KNOWS SHE HAS A BOSS:
A true boss lady’s foremost characteristic is that she knows she has a boss. But wait, she’s a boss. Who then bosses a boss? A boss lady has Christ as her Boss (Rom.10:9). She knows He’s her source and everything she’s got is because of Him (Acts 17:28). Who she is, depends on Him. He defines her identity and her entire life is centered on pleasing Him (Col.1:10). She’s got His Spirit indwelling her and she fulfills the purpose given to her by Him (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
A boss lady gets her confidence from knowing that her Boss can do all things (Phil. 4:13). She delights in the Words of her Boss and rather than complain about His Word, she readily obeys it (Ps.1:2, Lk.11:28). His joy is her strength (Neh. 8:10). Although she strongly believes in herself and her abilities, she never despises the help of her true Boss and seeks to glorify Him and not herself in all she does (Ps.121:1, 1 Cor.10:31). She draws her strength from Him and is not too ashamed to acknowledge Him before others (Lk.12:8).
She finds her true life satisfaction and fulfillment in no other than her Boss (Ps.63:1-3, Ps.17:15). She’s a warrior on her knees. And, hey! She’s got armor – complete armor (Eph. 6:10-18). There are a whole lot of boss ladies in the Bible, like Mary, Esther, Ruth, and Deborah. These boss ladies are the real deal boss ladies. You know why? Because they know, respect and obey their Boss.
2) SHE’S GOT GOALS, SHE’S GOT A VISION (Hab. 2:2, Prov. 29:18):
I can literally pinpoint the boss ladies in a room just by asking this simple question: Where do you see yourself five years from now? The boss ladies in the room usually have the most eloquent and thrilling answers. You’d be blown away. The ‘maid ladies’ may also have answers but they are usually unorganized and unintelligent. A boss lady takes out time from her otherwise busy schedule to plan ahead.
Meditation’s a routine to her, not a Mr. Grinch. She has big dreams in mind. Dreams that would naturally scare the ‘maid ladies’ who are comfortable with ordinary. She gets a calendar, a diary, and a pen. In her closet, she writes up all the great things she plans to achieve. She ensures they are ‘SMART worthy,’ commits them to her Boss(Christ), and works tirelessly towards their realization (Job 5:8, Ps. 37:5). Because, yeah, she’s aware that she’s not Cinderella. Dreams only come true when she wakes up and does the yard work.
3) SHE’S GOT THE ‘I CAN DO IT’ STANCE AND SPIRIT:
My course representative in my department in school is somewhat intimidating. Yes, she doesn’t bite but her countenance and stance could ounce out all the courage left in you. She’s confident! You can say so. You can easily recognize a boss lady by the confidence she exudes. When she walks into the room, her aura, disposition, and carriage could intimidate you.
She believes in her abilities and tends to infect everyone around her, especially her team. She doesn’t hide in her shell waiting for the right time. She goes out there, tries it out, takes the risk, and even though she fails, she says: let’s go again (Ps. 37:24, Prov. 24:16). She believes that with her Boss (Christ) by her side, she’s unstoppable and can do just anything (Phil. 4:13).
4) SHE MAKES HER VOICE HEARD:
‘I won’t try that. How can I say that? They’ll think I’m too forward? What if they conclude I’m crazy? What if it’s wrong and they all mock me? I’ll rather just stay shut to avoid upsetting them.’ If this characterizes your mentality, sorry to say, but you’re so not madame boss lady. A boss lady is not afraid to speak out and make her voice heard.
She doesn’t cage in just because she’s scared of the others in the room. Rather, she shouts(politely, though), if necessary, so as to air her views. She’s usually the one who gives the most ‘in your face’ answers. She believes she is as equally important as any other person; male or female. She fears no one but her Boss and is not afraid to say, ‘No.’ A boss lady shares her opinion with others in a room and if it does not resonate well with the others, she is patient enough to let them see sense. If she’s the one in the wrong, she is humble enough to see reason.
She takes her cue from Ruth in the Bible who knew just what she wanted and spoke out. Despite Naomi’s vale of tears or Orpah’s speedy abandonment, she clearly said, ‘Where you go, I will go.’ And nothing stopped her(Ruth 1:11-18).
5) SHE KNOWS JUST WHAT TO DO AND WHEN TO DO IT:
A boss lady is hardly if ever, drowning in the pool of confusion. Even though situations around her may be berserk and she is confronted with conflicting issues, a boss lady led by her Boss (Christ) conducts a well-thought-out analysis and almost always comes up with a good decision. A boss lady may seek for advice from trusted individuals she looks up to but is confident in her own judgment. She enjoys her solitude and ‘me time’ is not another replacement for ‘boo!’ to her.
Deborah in the Bible was a judge and a great example of a boss lady. As directed by her Boss, she made sound decisions which even led to the victory of Israel (Judges 4:4-23). Rahab was also a great boss lady. Taking advantage of her moment with the spies, she made sound judgments that led to her home being saved, and do you know? She was of the lineage of Christ (Josh. 2:1-21, Josh 6:17,23, Matt. 1:5). That’s how boss ladies rock!
6) SHE BELIEVES SHE’S A BOSS:
A boss lady doesn’t let the environment or social media or the naysayers define who she is. A boss lady finds her identity in her Boss(Christ). She does not spend time wallowing in self-pity or depression. A boss lady believes she’s a boss and acts like one. She is hardly, if ever, insecure or worried about the thoughts of others about her. She finds her worth in Christ and needs no one to validate her. She has a healthy self-esteem, self-perception, and self-image.
She doesn’t spend time getting jealous or envious of her friends who seem to be better boss ladies (if they are). She’s too valuable for that. Instead, she speaks great words to herself and focuses on building a better self-image. She believes she’s the daughter of a King and can be all that her King desires her to be (Matt. 21:5, Jn. 1:12). This sense of self-identity and self-worth leads to her being confident wherever she finds herself.
7) SHE LOOKS THE PART AND ACTS THE PART:
Walking past a group of soldiers one day, I and my friends assumed they were just ordinary like us. Can you guess why? They were not in khaki – not in uniform. How do you identify a boss lady? First, from her dress, I’d say. A boss lady dresses nice, looks nice, and smells nice. She is mannered and doesn’t pick her nose, or shout at the top of her voice, or worse, belch/yawn uncontrollably. She walks with her head held high and doesn’t slouch or look defeated. Her stance, posture, carriage, and aura are enough to introduce her to you.
She’s courteous, mindful of her environment, and studies those around her. She’s punctual, attentive to detail, and doesn’t go against her values or boundaries. She’s confident, yet she knows how to say sorry. Esther took good care of herself even before becoming queen (Esth. 2:12,15). She was respectful and well-mannered too unlike the ‘maid lady,’ Vashti. And I’m sure Mary was not a dirty, unkempt lady. She was beautiful, nice, and graceful. God found her. A boss lady looks the part and acts the part. You can be one too!
8) SHE DOES THE YARDWORK:
A boss lady knows she’s a boss. Yet the title, ‘boss’ certainly doesn’t mean, ‘be bossy!’ A boss lady knows that although she’s free to yell at everyone and get them to do the work; also owing to her impulsive nature, she is aware that it’s her responsibility to get her job done. She owns up to her responsibilities and does the necessary things that need to be done – dirty or not.
A boss lady is no blame game player and holds herself accountable for her and her team. She needs not to be motivated before knowing what she ought to do. She knows what is best for her and does what is best for herself and others around her even without being told. A boss lady is hard-working and resilient. Three hours out of her night are nothing compared to the joy she derives from seeing her work being done and in order. Yes, she delegates some of the jobs to others and ensures that they stay up on their toes to get them done but that’s not an excuse for her to be lazy.
Ruth, a very hardworking boss lady spent her time gleaning the fields. Although she acted on directives from her mother-in-law, she also had a choice to be lazy, gossiping, or ‘man-hunting.’ But she happily obeyed, owned up to her responsibilities, got her hands dirty, and put her life into her work (Ruth 2:23). Guess you know the end?
9) SHE SPEAKS THE LOVE LANGUAGE:
For almost every boss lady in the Bible, one thing is common and stands out: they all spoke the love language. Deborah loved God and her people, otherwise, she wouldn’t have cared enough to be a judge; Ruth loved God, His people, and Naomi; Jephthah’s daughter loved God much more than herself and also loved her father; Esther loved God, her uncle, and her people, Mary loved God and the entire human race even, if not, she would have never been yielded to be used as a vessel for our salvation.
A boss lady out of love for her Boss (Christ) and humanity is always pursuing a just cause or trying to right a wrong. She doesn’t mind defying the status quo if it’s necessary. In fact, defying it is her greatest expertise. Esther in the Bible who defied the rules and preferred death to seeing her nation perish is one of the many role models of a boss lady (Esth. 4:11-16, 5:2, 7:10, 8:1-17).
You can find her tirelessly working for children’s or women’s rights, equal rights for all, or other just causes. She sees children dying, out of school, marriages failing, or future boss ladies like her going the wrong way; she does not spend her time applying lipstick to look hot. Rather, she gets up and does something to save them from the heat of life. All boss ladies have this word constantly on their lips: L-O-V-E.
10) SHE’S GOT THE MIND OF CHRIST:
A boss lady dares to dream just about anything worth dreaming of. She’s not limited in her mind or given to insecurities, pessimism, fear of failure, or impossibilities. Her mind does not think, ‘I can’t,’ ‘No, not me,’ ‘Oh no! It’s never been done before.’ Rather, she’s always on the move, challenging her mind to see opportunities, act on them and come out with brilliant, feasible solutions. She constantly enriches her mind by reading great books, listening to helpful podcasts, attending seminars and webinars, and connecting with like minds.
She learns a bit about everything from literature to science, to Tech, to baking, and even pottery. She doesn’t limit herself to just wearing aprons and serving pizza. Her mind is healthy and wholesome and she dreams of the bigger picture where everyone’s included – no one’s left out. She is aware she is called to be fruitful and her mind is the fertile ground to plant her seed (Gen. 1:28).
She knows she has the mind of Christ and does not settle for anything less. She develops her mind, trains it, and maneuvers it in the right direction bearing in mind that a boss lady’s thoughts make up a boss lady (Prov. 23:7). ‘A healthy mind makes a healthy boss lady,’ is her mantra and she lives nothing short of it.
To conclude, maybe after reading, you’ve told yourself: Nah, this isn’t me. I can never be her. Have you seen me? Well, I’ve got good news for you. It all starts with Jesus Christ. Tell Him you wanna be a boss lady. Ask Him to fill you with His Spirit. Obey Him and just watch the boss lady in you unleash (Rom. 8:26, 2 Cor. 12:9).
Hey! You’re created for more.
To a boss lady and more!
Thank you for reading and God bless you.
