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Odd Armor

I had a female boss who wore her vulnerability like a suit or armor. When people first encountered her they saw that as different and bold for a woman. Men and women agreed that F was not a weakling just because she dared to project vulnerability- she could fight like the best of them and win. Not everyone felt comfortable with her over-sharing but they grudgingly respected that she could without feeling in the least awkward.

Sadly that winning streak came to and end recently. Her reporting structure changed and her new manager who came from outside the company (an uncommon move at that level for this organization), had earned the reputation of being petulant and temperamental like a child in his prior roles. When I heard about F's new boss through the grapevine, I knew this relationship would be fraught. 

F and this new guy needless to say did not hit it off and in a few months she was gone. It was interesting to observe how the consensus opinion of F's controversial management and interaction style shifted with this turn of events. If F had found inspiration and support for her leadership style in stories like this, it sounded like her colleagues did not see the point anymore - it was to them a risk not worth taking. F's rise and fall had been the needed proof-point, 

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