I think there are very big differences between female and male managers
and getting people to understand those differences ... people are afraid to talk about it but I can’t tell you without saying that because it makes such
a difference in the way you behave. I did not choose to take on male
characteristics to manage.
It was much more acceptable to have a female in charge towards the end of my career than it was at the beginning of my career. When I went to
(location) for the first time there were no female managers, period. I was
THE ONLY ONE ... and Southern men in particular didn’t take kindly to
having a woman take over their facility. It was tough.(^) Meaningful experiences to R1 concentrated on the education and research milieu.
Graduate school provided a venue for building relationships, and to understand that
having a strong interpersonal network fuels professional and personal success. It enabled
having a mature perspective on emotions.
Participant R4. Participant R4 is a retired male who worked in the human
resources occupation. He considered the mission of the Federal government to be
important, as its work benefits society. R4’s EI maturity stemmed from career
progression and the linkage between interpersonal skills and effective decisions.
Well, I would say that obviously everybody matures as they grow up
through their life. I think I became more conscious of how my actions
impacted other people and their perceptions of their relationships.
Interpersonal things in general. And the importance of those issues in context of trying to get a job done.
The meaningful experience accorded by R4 related to mentors. R4 went beyond
admiring the traits he wanted to emulate, and actively sought a personal connection. That
stated, R4 opined that mentoring must be coupled with hands-on experience.
I was just watching the guy 2, 3 or 4 rankshe could see and how he could do it. Later on I became above me – marveling at what closer to him and
he ... gave me more under the wing kind of advice. And that was very
useful to me. I think it’s hard to imagine not having that sort of resource
... very hard to get past that level without getting that kind of help from