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I feel like I've come off as an outspoken woman. Sometimes I think I've come off as confrontational. But I feel like it's been pretty fair. Those are parts of me.

Most executives are male, so it's always sort of their vision of stuff. I'm constantly fighting against that even when I play the wife or the girlfriend or the best friend. I always try my hardest to bring as much layering in and not make things stereotypical, but it's hard.

I happen to have worked with male directors who don't understand women at all. Not at all. I'm flabbergasted by their ignorance.

Maybe if everybody in leadership was a woman, you might not get into the conflicts in the first place. But if you watch the women who have made it to the top, they haven't exactly been non-aggressive - including me.

To be outspoken, or different at all, is a problem for women.

All my life, I've been working with male directors, which I've really enjoyed. And I'm lucky in that I've worked with men who have a lot of respect for women. But working with a woman is a different experience. It feels like the communication is different.

I think if a woman is feeling aggressive, she should be aggressive and not hold back.

As a woman, my style defines my leadership. It's a gentler, more compassionate approach. I consult, I listen and I compromise where it's in the best interest of the citizens.

What I find is with all due deference to - deference to our male colleagues, that women's styles tend to be more collaborative.