Communication is a central phenomenon in organizations and is especially important for management. Certainly, as an activity it occupies a vast majority of a manager's time, and thus any increase in a manager's effectiveness or skill as a communicator should contribute directly or indirectly to improved organizational performance. All the manager's functions involve communication. Assertiveness is a way of making sure your needs are met while still considering the needs of others. If you suffer from social anxiety disorder (SAD - social anxiety disorder), communicating assertively may seem uncomfortable at first. Chances are that you have adopted a passive communication style that enables you to avoid conflict but leaves you feeling anxious, depressed and helpless, and causes frustration and discomfort to those around you. Learning to communicate assertively is not selfish, but rather an effective way of negotiating social encounters. You may have misconceptions about what it means to be assertive. People who communicate assertively are not obnoxious. They do not step on the feelings of others to get what they want, as is the case with aggressive communication. Instead, assertive communication involves expressing your feelings, needs and desires in a nonjudgmental and nonthreatening way. Communication style are passive, aggressive or assertive. Assertiveness is the best style for nurse managers and the one they should foster in their personnel. However, there are barriers that nurses must overcome to become assertive. The most pervasive barrier is female gender role socialization. Whereas men are characterized as aggressive, competitive, independent, objective, analytical, task oriented, confident, self-disciplined and emotionally controlled, women are expected to be passive, dependent, subjective, intuitive, empathetic, sensitive, interpersonally oriented, weak, inconsistent and emotionally unstable.