Rationale: There are three types of female bosses: Mother, Prima Donna, and Fury. Mother is the woman who, depending on her age and yours, could have been your mom or sister outside of the work context. Prima Donna is bad news. She may be superficially friendly and sweet, but she sees you—and everyone else with the tiniest trace of ambition—as a rival. Fury is mad, sad, and evil. A word of caution: Consider yourself lucky if you work with the Mother type because regardless of how demanding she is, she’s also fair, and you’ll be rewarded if you’ve been good. So be good. Remember that Prima Donna wants all the attention and spotlight to herself while those under her should be indefatigable and indistinguishable—her Dream Team. If your boss is a Prima Donna, keep as low a profile as you can manage and look for a transfer or another job. Permissible exception: If you enjoy being nobody, you may enjoy working under a Prima Donna. But then, you’ll never be a Perfect Woman. Damage control: If your boss is a Fury, there’s only one sensible thing you can do.
