cal ed her "darling". "He was trying to test me. I was shaking with anger," says Nicole, now 34. "I stood erect and said, ‘You wouldn't have cal ed my father darling and you're not going to take that liberty with me. If you do, I'l fire you.'"

5 When women work for women, a different dynamic often takes over. Susan,

a cashier in a Toronto auction house, says that she has explored friendships

with some of her female bosses and feels she can rely on them more. While women may feel more at ease with a female boss, men often have to

make concessions to the new working styles. Brian, a marine biologist, says, "It took me a couple of years before I felt comfortable enough to relax around a female manager. In fact, my relations with her were much more businesslike."

6 To some extent, the male-female differences come down to conflicting styles. One female vice-president discussed the time she burst into tears

during a meeting. "Men think that tears are a nuclear weapon in a conventional war. They take exception to a woman crying, inferring that she's feeling unhappy or violated." The men failed to understand that what prompted her tears was not hurt but genuine rage. "When we cry, it's because we have al

this valid rage that has no appropriate release," she says."Women cry; men

get relief by going on with the offense or by veiling their feelings to

appear composed."

7 Deborah, president of a firm with its headquarters in Toronto, says that even

********if m en do understand, they sometimes react differently to

the identical information and to her cooperative management style.

8 Deborah says that her authority is sometimes undermined by perceptions about her gender. "It stems from the whole social context of traditional roles for men and women," she says. "Mom would tel you to do things, but perhaps you wouldn't take as much notice as when Dad told you to do things. Men also

have a stronger urge to control," she says.

9 For female bosses, the great expectation of some female employees is one more obstacle. Junior women assume a female boss wil promote them more quickly than a man would. But, they also expect female bosses to be more

self-sufficient. "They ask, ‘Why can't you scan your own stuff?' or ‘Why can't you do your own filing?'" says one senior female executive.

10 On the other hand, there is no dispute that a few decades ago they would

*********rarely have had a female boss in the workplace.Nina, a

management consultant says she's vaguely optimistic. "I'm looking forward to the day, before I die, when we recognize that the best management styles wil