In my 40-plus years of work, I have had five female bosses. They were all good supervisors; two were excellent. Looking back over all of my supervisors, I think they were better overall than the male supervisors.

I answered to a female on my very first major professional position. She was the mayor. I was the city administrator. She was a long-time community activist and businesswoman before she was mayor. She listened thoughtfully before saying something important. She got me over some hurdles and helped me move on when it was time for me to seek other opportunities. It was that thoughtful pause that I learned from her. I learned to really think before I responded to important questions. I learned from her to measure my words carefully. It has paid off tremendously.

The second female boss was a perfectionist. I am not. But I learned to be one, at least with respect to my work. It was frustrating at times. However, once I adapted to her level of professionalism, we got along great. We were in sync in many ways once I came up to her speed. We worked later hours because it took that much time to get it right. She could have settled for less without any problems, but it did not suit her. Even now, when I see that something is good enough but not quite what I want, it’s her voice in my head that speaks. The line may be just 1/64th of an inch off. While no one else can see it, I can see it. I have to fix it. That’s her voice in my head.

The third female boss supervised a team of about 10 females and one male, me. When she interviewed me, she told me some rules she expected everyone to follow. No gossiping! If she found out that two or more workers were in some conflict, she would step in immediately to settle the problem. Priorities and expectations would always be made clear. You’re a professional and responsible for your own success and failures; no finger pointing. She had structure in her work environment. It was a friendly place. She made it easy for everyone to get along.

The fourth female boss was a quiet, straightforward person. She provided a light management touch. She gave me deadlines and clear instructions. She let me do my work without too much supervision. At first, it was hard to adjust because I was used to other supervisors who would constantly check on my progress. I almost wanted to give her weekly updates because that’s what I was used to. She would ask me for details at specified dates, never sooner unless the deadline had to be moved up. In a way, because he she did not check up on me, I was usually ahead of schedule. She encouraged me to go outside the bounds of the normal writing style because we needed to stand out. She took off the chains.

The fifth female boss was new to the field. She was trying to get up to speed and had quite a lot to learn. Not knowing some of the what, how and why of our work, she asked for some things that likely made sense in her previous field but not in this field. I had to tell her no on two occasions. Another worker was shocked that I was contradicting the boss. Of course, I did it diplomatically. I did this via email within a small group, so it was not in public. My response to the coworker was that my boss deserved my best work and my best advice, not just a yes person. Otherwise, I would be doing her a great disservice, especially considering that she was new to the job. I thought it would avoid her being embarrassed in front of her superior. She took the comments well and adapted her viewpoint over time. My boss reinforced what I already knew: I don’t know everything; I can learn from others, no matter how good I think I am (and truth be told, in my mind I think I’m pretty good).

I have never had a bad female boss. I have done well under their supervision. Thanks.

Whether you’re a female or male, don’t be afraid of female bosses.