It's easy for an alpha female to bear the negative label of "intimidating." The line between being respected as someone who stands up for her beliefs and being called a bitch is so fine you can't even walk it in a stiletto. However, women have natural advantages when it comes to leadership, and in many ways, outperform men.

In 2012, Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman looked at over 7,000 360-degree performance reviews, which revealed female leaders outranked male leaders in nearly every one of 16 leadership competencies.Yet men are more likely to occupy C-suite positions. A study conducted by the University at Buffalo School of Management found that women still struggle to be placed in leadership positions. "We found showing sensitivity and concern for others — stereotypically feminine traits — made someone less likely to be seen as a leader," Emily Grijalva, who was on the research team, said. "However, it's those same characteristics that make leaders effective. Thus, because of this unconscious bias against communal traits, organizations may unintentionally select the wrong people for leadership roles, choosing individuals who are loud and confident but lack the ability to support their followers' development and success."