( CNN ) -- Assertive and bold , strong and courageous . These are the words we use when we think of our leaders -- the characteristics we look for when we elect politicians , vet CEOs or select captains of sports teams . Yet throughout history , these terms have been primarily applied when men have occupied leadership roles . We expect men to lead and assert themselves , and we encourage and reward these behaviors when young boys exhibit them . So why is it when a young girl exhibits these exact same characteristics , we often resort to a different word to describe her behavior ? A word that says to young girls : These are not the behaviors we expect from you . Why do we call her `` bossy '' ? It seems like a little thing -- it 's just a word after all . Plus , should n't we be teaching our children that words matter less than actions or deeds ? But words have power and meaning , especially during the critical early grade-school years , when boys and girls alike are developing their sense of self and finding their place in the world . According to the Girl Scouts Research Institute Ban Bossy National Youth Poll 2014 , more than a third of girls who are called `` bossy '' lose interest in leading and stop making decisions or suggestions . Children begin to establish gender role stereotypes as early as 2 years old and generate an emerging career identity by middle school . As early as the third grade , girls report anxiety about taking leadership roles , become overly concerned about pleasing others and aspire to be perfect . By the time they reach middle school , the damage is done . A 2003 study by Simmons College notes that by the early teen years , more boys than girls report that they aspire to leadership roles in future careers , and millennial women are less likely to say they `` aspire to a leadership role in whatever field I ultimately work . '' Whether intentional or not , the message is clear : Society is both actively and passively discouraging girls from exhibiting leadership qualities , and that is translating to a generation of girls afraid to take the reins of leadership for fear of being disliked . And that is a loss for all of us . We can no longer afford to have half the population sidelined , their skills and their insight ignored , because of the messages they received as girls . That is why at Girl Scouts , we have teamed up with Facebook 's Sheryl Sandberg and former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to launch our `` Ban Bossy '' campaign : a call for society to stop calling girls who exhibit leadership `` bossy '' and instead encourage and reward those behaviors the same way we would for boys . Opinion : Sheryl Sandberg wrong on bossy ban . As the premier leadership organization for girls in the country , the Girl Scouts have been doing this for 102 years . We 've found that women 's leadership journeys begin as girls , and their future depends on receiving the same kind of encouragement and support boys receive when they demonstrate leadership capacities in life . I know how limiting words can be . As a young Latina growing up in small-town Arizona , I watched as my mother tried to break the conventions of her time and place , running for the local school board when it was unheard of for a female , let alone a Hispanic female , to do so . I watched and listened as people , including family and friends , tried to discourage her from running . But I was fortunate , because I also saw my father support my mom and her ambitions . When he was told he had to make sure his wife knew her place , he responded that her place was to lead . Words can hurt or heal ; they can shape our perceptions and either encourage our ambitions or limit our understanding of what we can become . When we refer to a girl who demonstrates leadership qualities as `` bossy , '' she receives a message she is doing something wrong , that somehow , the same behaviors we praise and reward in boys are inappropriate for her , and we are limiting the scope of her potential as a result . So the next time you have the urge to call a little girl `` bossy , '' stop , take a breath and say , `` She 's a leader . '' It 's time to redirect the power of words to girls themselves , so that `` girl '' and `` leader '' mean one and the same . It 's time to `` Ban Bossy . '' The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Anna Maria Chávez .
Anna Maria Chávez : Leadership traits include being assertive , bold , strong and courageous . Author : Why is it young girls are called `` bossy '' when they exhibit these qualities ? By communicating to girls that `` bossy '' is bad , it limits future leaders , Chávez says .