Nerves of Steel

I've mentioned how busy I've been at work but haven't mentioned what's been taking my time. That's partly because I'm not going to expose where or what I do specifically of course. I can say that I've become a little entrepreneurial the last month and have developed rather large projects which could add significant profits to our bottom line. These projects have required rapid development and involve some risks in regards to ROI. They have also stretched the limits on my talented staffing pool. In short I've been walking around with a tummy ache.

Today I received some positive news which makes it look like my projects will be very fruitful. I phoned the owner of the company and excitedly shared the news.

He said "you must have nerves of steel."

His comment showed me that even though I've felt terrible anxiety about my ventures he was unaware of it. It showed me he was aware of the risks I'd taken expanding operations and yet hadn't voiced one shred of opposition. It showed me he felt I could handle things well.

I'm not a manly manager meaning I haven't adopted male posturing or dictatorship style leadership to get the job done. I practice collaborative decision making and prefer consensus where possible - pretty feminine type traits. I don't bark orders, I'm polite even when direct. Nerves of steel to me is a manly trait and not one normally associated with women. Yet for some reason being perceived as having "nerves of steel" thrills me. Can't figure it out.