Sheryl Sandberg’s “Ban Bossy” Campaign

Did you know that between elementary and high school, girls’ self-esteems drops 3.5 times more than boys? This profound stat can have a detrimental effect on a young girl’s future. That’s what Facebook COO and founder of the Lean In movement Sheryl Sandberg thinks and she wants to do something about it.

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Girl Scouts USA CEO Anna Maria Chávez have joined forces with her to launch “Ban Bossy” to ban the word “bossy” as a way to describe young girls, stating that its use leads to negative self esteem and eventually stops them from pursuing leadership roles. The banbossy.com website gives tips for parents, kids, teachers and others about how to encourage young female leaders.

During a recent interview at Facebook headquarters to promote the campaign, Sandberg pointed out that they are not encouraging rude, mean-girl behavior or bullying. She said, “Leadership is not bullying and leadership is not aggression. Leadership is the expectation that you can use your voice for good. That you can make the world a better place.”

Her hope is that the campaign will open a dialogue with parents and teachers, to eliminate the use of the word “bossy” and will lead to more great female leaders. In The Wall Street Journal yesterday, she wrote:

We need great leaders. Our economic growth depends upon having women fully engaged in the workforce. Our companies perform better with more women in management. And our homes are happier wwhen men and women share responsibilities more equally. It’s time to end the gendered speech that discourages girls from an early age. 

Time.com just published a list of 16 successful women who were once called “bossy” and that list included the likes of Hillary Clinton, Janet Yellen, Sonia Sotamayor and Indira Ghandi. Clearly women can rise after being given the label but who’s to say avoid it altogether would be easier on a young girl?

Lastly, Beyonce got in on the movement just today with the release of a new video to redefine the female leadership and address the negative label. It’s called “I’m Not Bossy. I’m the Boss.”  It notes that by middle school, girls are less interested in leadership roles than boys because of the negatively-associated label.