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How Unapologetically Bold Would You Be if 9.9 Million People Weighed in on Your Job Performance?

Writer's picture: Tonya TiggettTonya Tiggett

Who could’ve guessed that a “now you see me, now you don’t” gesture, originally made famous by big time wrestling star John Cena, and borrowed by actor John Riley in one of my favorite comedies, Talladega Nights The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, would become the center of a college women’s basketball debate and controversy this week centered upon players Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.


That taunting gesture embraced by big time wrestling fans, laughed at by movie lovers like me, and celebrated by journalists and social media influencers when Iowa Hawkeye’s Caitlin Clark leveraged it boldly and unapologetically during the Elite Eight against Louisville, apparently does not apply to Angel Reese using it in the same tournament against Clark in the finals on Sunday.


Even more boldly, during the Final Four, Clark refused to guard a South Carolina player, waving her off with a gesture that indicated the player wasn’t worth Clark’s time to defend. Talk about unapologetic boldness.


In examining those instances in your life where you’re under scrutiny, how you would react, and where would you fall on the unapologetically bold spectrum of apologizing, remaining silent, or not apologizing?  


Now imagine, if you had 9.9 million TV viewers tuned in to your performance, with very strong opinions on how you carried yourself while performing your job in a way that is uniquely you?


What backlash did Clark face from that unapologetic bold behavior against South Carolina? According to freelance sports journalist, Rob Zeglinski, Clark “has more than earned the right to carry herself how she pleases on the court.”


By contrast, Reese, a Black woman and 2023 Most Outstanding Final Four Player, seemed to have “earned the right” to be called unprofessional, unsportsmanlike, and from Barstool Sport’s founder David Portnoy, a “classless piece of shit,” for the exact hand gesture, used in the finals toward Clark, the exact athlete who others lauded for her boldness when she waved her hand at another player. By the way, Portnoy, we know why so many flies are gathered heavily around your barstool.


Would you be surprised to learn that 69% of women tend to apologize?




What followed has been a media frenzy debating sexism, racism, and what being unapologetic looks like for different people, particularly women, who we often don’t associate with being unapologetic nor bold.

At Tiggett & Co., we know through our surveys of 400 corporate female professionals, 69% tend to apologize for their comments, decisions, and actions when others appear to be uncomfortable as a result.

It’s refreshing to hear Reese not defend her own actions, and instead double-down, that she is “unapologetically me” and does “not fit the narrative” that others attempt to impose upon her.


Boldness is unique to each of us, and we as women are more likely to step into our unapologetic boldness when our value system is compromised.

-Research by Tiggett & Co


Reese’s stance aligns with our research and the 40 plus interviews I’ve conducted on the topic of unapologetic boldness: that boldness is unique to the individual. While she is confident in how she carries herself and is unapologetic for it, you also have behaviors and decisions you’re making any given day that are bold in your own way.



What we don’t stop to reflect upon, is that others draw inspiration from us, and are stepping into their own boldness in a way that is unique to each individual because of it. I know this effect is taking place because it just happened in the last two leadership programs I led on the topic of “unapologetic boldness,” with women sharing stories of their own unapologetic boldness motivated through the behaviors of another woman they observed in bold action. We call this the “Towanda Effect.”


Kudos to both Reese and Clark for putting into motion the “Towanda Effect” of unapologetic boldness, and the aftereffect I’m confident that will carry forward for current and future women athletes, and for those of us outside of the sports world to empower more life and career success we’re willing to boldly pursue.

 

Signing off with a “now you see me, now you don’t” while I shout, “Towanda!”


Unapologetically with You,


If you would like to inquire about our data gathered through surveys on the topic of “Unapologetic Boldness”, or to receive our “Towanda Effect” stories and data, please contact jennreyes@tiggettandco.com.


Great news! For the first time ever, Tonya’s career strategy and leadership workshop “Lead with Confidence and Courage to Thrive” is now being offered online in 2023 for a limited time only. This program has been available exclusively to corporations until this year, so save your individual seat now! To gift this program, and a competitive edge in the workplace, to a college graduate, or to join Tonya in a live, virtual event that more than 6,000 professionals globally have used to prepare for job interviews and performance reviews to up their career strategy and leadership skills, please contact jenniferzimmer@tiggettandco.com.

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Tonya Tiggett

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© 2024 Tonya Tiggett, Tiggett and Co. All Rights Reserved.

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