Tina Fey‘s comment ‘bitches get stuff done’ caught my eye some time ago and I shared it with some of my friends (yeah, via Facebook). It struck a responsive chord, so to speak, and many said amen.I begun to think why this quote was considered to be to the point. Sure we all recognise the type: a self-centred elbowing person who does anything to achieve her or his goals and considers others only as long as it benefits themselves.Sure, I get stuff done by being a bitch, bit at what cost? Am I happy having gained a goal by not considering others? Of course sometimes I don’t need to consider others because it is a matter of being a bitch to myself and making myself work harder.
The more I have been thinking about it, the more I feel the process should matter too, whether it how I treat others or myself. Unfortunately, for instance in the academia one is evaluated mainly via personal goal achievement, namely publications. Solely personal goals for career development might encourage a person to be a bitch.
Of course, in the academia it is allowed to cooperate and co-author, but how can one build cooperation by being a bitch? To me it seems that this is possible only by provoking fear. Bitches get stuff done because others are willing to cooperate only because they are too afraid to decline. Meanwhile, they create exit strategies. But the minute the chances are there, others will do something else.It all comes back to what is important in my life: getting stuff done or enjoying the process. I have been starting to think why do I need to get stuff done anyways? To gain a living, sure. However, to me it seems it is nicer to gain a living in genuine cooperation with others rather than being a bitch.
Eeva Houtbeckers 