Story 363
There is a Managing Director in the tech department in Tampa who is so insecure that he seeks affirmation from female subordinates.
It manifests in a couple of ways.
On one side are those given explicit leeway, with him stepping in to lead their meetings. The pretext is the stakeholders are difficult.
You’d think that inability to handle difficult stakeholders would disqualify you from promotion.
Think again. Because their success is visibly tied to the manager’s intervention, the manager feels powerful and indispensable.
On the other side are qualified, independent women who rely purely on merit, deliver results autonomously, and set firm professional boundaries.
If you refuse to act as an emotional support system, you will be resented for denying him his nurturing due (more if affinity).
His ability to feel important, worthy and successful is directly tied to his fantasy as a woman’s hero – wanted and admired.
Empowerment is precisely what gets you targeted.
Needless to say, male subordinates are not held to the same emotional tax.