On Being Bossy

A personal essay by Caroline Lau reflecting on being labeled 'bossy' throughout her life — from a middle school snack sale to a chemical plant in West Texas to a startup Slack channel. She reframes bossiness not as a flaw but as a skill that requires self-awareness, coalition-building, and reading the room. Through three distinct experiences, she illustrates how the same instinct to improve things can be vulnerable when isolated, powerful when strategic, and influential when translated to fit the environment. Her conclusion: the world needs more women who have learned to be bossy well, not fewer.