Women Career Advancement

🎣 “They didn’t even cc me.” This was how Yumi, a senior marketing director, found out her billion-dollar product had been repositioned, without her input. The project she had been leading for 18 months was suddenly reporting into someone else. She didn’t mess up. She wasn’t underperforming. She just wasn’t "there". Not at the executive offsite. Not at the Friday “golf and growth” circle. Not at the CEO’s birthday dinner her male peer casually got invited to. She was busy being excellent. They were busy being bonded. 🍷 When she asked her boss about the change, he was surprised: “You’re usually aligned with the bigger picture, so we assumed it’d be fine.” In Workplace politic-ish: Yumi was predictable. Available. Yet not powerful enough to be consulted. 🔍 What actually happened here? Women are told to build relationships. Men build alliances. Women maintain connections. Men maintain relevance in power circles. It’s not about how many people like you. It’s about how many people speak your name when you’re not in the room. And in most companies, the real decisions - about budget, headcount, succession, are made off-the-clock and off-the-record. 📌 So, how do you stop getting edited out of influence? Try these: 1. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗽.    Not the org chart. The whisper network / shadow organistion.    Who gets invited to early product reviews?    Who influences without title?    Start mapping that!     2. 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲-𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁.    If your name hasn’t been mentioned by 3 different people in senior leadership this month, you are invisible to power, even if you’re a top performer.     3. 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴.    Skip the webinars and female empowerment panels.    Start showing up where strategy happens: QBRs, investor briefings, offsite planning, cross-functional war rooms.     4. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹.    Schedule recurring 1:1s with lateral stakeholders, not to “catch up,” but to co-build. Influence travels faster across than up.     5. 𝗕𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘀.    If you vanished for 2 weeks and no one noticed, you’re not central enough to promote.     🧨 If any of this feels raw, it’s because it is. Brilliant women are being rewritten out of their own stories, not for lack of performance, but for lack of positioning. That’s why Uma, Grace and I created 👊 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿: 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀👊 A course for women who are done watching strategic mediocrity rise while they wait for recognition. It’s not about becoming someone else. It’s about learning the rules that were never designed for us, and playing like you intend to win. 🔗 Get it if you’re ready, link in comment. Or wait until they “assume you’d be aligned,” too.

𝐌𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐧 “𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲.” 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 “𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞” 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠. Every year, we applaud the small increase in women reaching the top. Every year, we expect real change. And yet, 10.4%? That’s not transformation—that’s stagnation. 𝐘𝐞𝐬, 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 10.4% 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐞 500 𝐂𝐄𝐎𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 2025. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰? Because let’s be honest—this isn’t about competence, ambition, or a lack of qualified women. The real issue? 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧. Here’s what’s really happening: 🔹 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 “𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭”: Bias Companies don’t just promote the best—they promote who feels right in the role. And too often, that “right” looks like every CEO before them—male. 🔹 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐲𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 “𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐭”: Women are expected to check every single box before being considered. Men? They’re promoted on potential, not perfection. 🔹 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐩: A woman in the C-suite often stands alone. No peer network, no old boys' club, no ready-made allies. Leadership can be isolating when you’re the only one like you in the room. 🔹 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝—They Just Look Different Assertive men are seen as confident. Assertive women? “Difficult.” A decisive male leader is strong. A decisive female leader is “cold.” Men can “focus on strategy.” Women still have to “prove” they belong. And even when they break through? - More scrutiny—one mistake defines her. - More resistance—team members hesitate to follow. - More pressure—because failure is seen as a sign that “women weren’t ready.” We are being judged at every step, for every decision we make. If not internally, then externally, in every social setup. 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 "𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟" 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 "𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠" The System Isn’t Just Slow—It’s Flawed. We don’t need to “fix” women. We need to fix the biases, structures, and outdated leadership models that are still holding them back. So what needs to change? ✅ Promote women based on potential—just like men. ✅ Trust women leadership capabilities at work ✅ Build real support systems. 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐧 8𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡, 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐭.

A highly qualified woman sat across from me yesterday.   Her resume showed 15 years of C-suite experience. Multiple awards. Industry recognition.   Yet she spoke about her success like it was pure luck.   SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT of female executives experience this same phenomenon.   I see it daily through my work with thousands of women leaders. They achieve remarkable success but internally believe they fooled everyone.   Some call it imposter syndrome. I call it a STRUCTURAL PROBLEM.   Let me explain...   When less than 5% of major companies have gender-balanced leadership, women question whether they belong.   My first board appointment taught me this hard truth.   I walked into that boardroom convinced I would say something ridiculous. Everyone seemed so confident.   But confidence plays tricks on us.   Perfect knowledge never exists. Leadership requires:   • Recognising what you know • Admitting what you miss • Finding the right answers • Moving forward anyway   Three strategies that transformed my journey:   1. Build your evidence file Document every win, every positive feedback, every successful project. Review it before big meetings. Your brain lies. Evidence speaks truth.   2. Find your circle Connect with other women leaders who understand your experience. The moment you share your doubts, someone else will say "me too."   3. Practice strategic vulnerability Acknowledging areas for growth enhances credibility. Power exists in saying "I'll find out" instead of pretending omniscience.   REALITY CHECK: This impacts business results.   Qualified women: - Decline opportunities - Downplay achievements - Hesitate to negotiate - Withdraw from consideration   Organisations lose valuable talent and perspective.   The solution requires both individual action and systemic change.   We need visible pathways to leadership for women. We need to challenge biased feedback. We need women in leadership positions in meaningful numbers.   Leadership demands courage, not perfect confidence.   The world needs leaders who push past doubt - not because they never experience it, but because they refuse to let it win. https://lnkd.in/gY9G-ibh

Most leaders think advocating for the women on their team means giving good performance reviews and saying nice things in the hallway. It doesn't. (But keep doing those things too.) Real advocacy for women is specific, public, and strategic. It happens in the rooms they aren't in yet. It names names, credits ideas, and makes a business case. And it requires language most of us were never taught (I certainly wasn't) because most of us learned to lead by watching people who weren't doing it either. The result is that too many talented women stay invisible, under-rewarded, and under-promoted.. Their ideas get repeated by someone else and applauded. Their work gets presented by someone else and rewarded. And somewhere, a very mediocre guy is getting a fancy new title because his manager won't stop saying his name. You can change that. And it starts with what you say, out loud, in public, with specifics...and over and over again. Here are 10 phrases worth adding to your leadership vocabulary: 1. "Before we move on, I want to make sure we hear from [Name] on this. They've been leading this work." 2. "I want to call out [Name]'s contribution to this success. Without their [specific action], we wouldn't have achieved this." 3. "Let me amplify what [Name] just said, because it's a critical point..." 4. "I'm nominating [Name] for this high-visibility project because they have the skills and they're ready for the stretch." 5. "I want [Name] to present this to the executive team. They own this work and should get the credit." 6. "I'm putting [Name]'s name forward for [opportunity] because they've demonstrated [specific capability]." 7. "I'm concerned about the pattern I'm seeing in promotions. Let's look at our data by gender." 8. "I heard [Name] make that same point five minutes ago. Let's give them credit for the idea." 9. "[Name] needs [specific resource] to deliver on this strategic priority. Here's the ROI..." 10. "I'm advocating for additional budget for [Name] because their work directly impacts [business outcome]." Women have a visibility problem because they have an advocacy gap. Start closing it with your words, in the rooms that matter. Which of these do you use? Which one do you wish more leaders would say?

If you're a woman, you may have felt that you're on an endless treadmill of proving your worth. That’s "Prove it Again" bias in action. It's a pervasive double standard where men are often evaluated on their potential while women must continually prove their accomplishments. 🛑 This is how it might manifest: 🏆 Success has a gendered lens: When men succeed, their skill and talent are credited. But when women succeed, it is often luck or external factors that get the credit. 🔍 And when it comes to failure, the scrutiny intensifies for women. A man’s error might be shrugged off and forgotten, but a woman’s? It sticks like glue as though it were proof that she didn’t belong in the first place. How do we level the playing field? 1️⃣ By recognizing and challenging gender biases in the talent pipeline. 2️⃣ By celebrating women's achievements as loudly as we do men's. 3️⃣ By using fair and equitable methods to evaluate performance. 4️⃣ By normalising women’s success as a product of their skills and remembering their mistakes are steps in the learning process. 5️⃣ By asking yourself, every time you're making a decision about women - "Would I say or think that about a man?" #GenderBias #ProveItAgain #DiversityEquityAndInclusion #WomenInLeadership #MichelleRedfern

🌺 Success shouldn’t feel like a liability. But for many women, it does. The Tall Poppy Syndrome—where high achievers are “cut down” for standing out—is a silent career killer. Instead of being celebrated, many women are punished for their ambition, excellence, and visibility. 💼💔 The Tallest Poppy Report, featured in Psychology Today, surveyed over 4,700 women across 103 countries. The findings are sobering: 🔍 What does being “cut down” look like? • 📤 Withholding critical information • 🗣️ Gossip and criticism • ❌ Downplaying accomplishments • 🚫 Social exclusion and isolation • 🧊 Being labeled “too ambitious” or “too sensitive” • 🧩 Undermining behavior from peers, superiors, and even clients 📉 The consequences? • 😞 Disengagement from projects • 🤐 Holding back in meetings • 🕶️ Hiding achievements to avoid backlash • 🧠 Declining mental health and well-being • 🏃♀️ Increased turnover and burnout 💬 One woman shared: “I was promised a promotion to the C-Suite, then told I was too outwardly ambitious. I wasn’t promoted. I’m checked out, embarrassed, and looking for new jobs.” 🌱 Why this matters: • Tall Poppy Syndrome isn’t just about envy—it’s about systemic punishment of success, especially for women. • It thrives in cultures of scarcity, comparison, and insecurity. • It’s a major factor in the Great Resignation, where many women left workplaces that failed to support or celebrate them. ✨ What can we do instead? • 🎉 Celebrate others’ milestones genuinely • 🤝 Champion women’s achievements publicly • 🛡️ Create psychologically safe workplaces • 📣 Speak up against exclusion and bullying • 🧭 Reframe others’ negativity as a reflection of their own insecurities—not your worth 🔗 Link in comments #TallPoppySyndrome #WomenInLeadership #WorkplaceBullying #CareerGrowth #MentalHealthMatters #DEI #PsychologicalSafety #Leadership #EquityAtWork #WomenSupportingWomen #OrganizationalCulture #FirstGenProfessionals #InclusionMatters #GreatResignation #WorkplaceWellbeing 🌸

Too often, women don’t lose opportunities because they lack confidence or competence. They lose them because their ideas get interrupted, diluted, or credited last. I’ve seen it in meetings. On panels. In leadership rooms where women are doing the work but not getting the recognition. That’s why I believe ampliship matters. Ampliship is not performative allyship. It’s a deliberate leadership behavior. It’s choosing to: Say her name when repeating an idea. Redirect credit back to the woman who originated the thought. Introduce women by their expertise, not their likability. Use your voice to make sure contributions don’t quietly disappear. These moments seem small. They aren’t. They shape who gets seen as confident. Who gets labeled “strategic.” Who gets invited into bigger rooms. Culture doesn’t change through slogans. It changes through repeated, visible actions. I’ve watched ampliship change careers. I’ve benefited from it myself. And I try to practice it consistently, especially when it’s uncomfortable. Because when women are amplified, not overlooked, everyone benefits. This isn’t about being nice. It’s about being intentional with power. #Ampliship

🔍 The 1% Pattern of Misjudgment That Creates a 30% Leadership Gap One tiny difference created a massive leadership gap. Did you know nearly half of how we judge workplace performance isn't even about actual performance? Surprised? 📊 A 2023 study revealed that small, almost invisible patterns of misjudgment quietly compound into structural inequality, explaining 45% of the variance in organizational performance outcomes. You might think one point of misjudgment is negligible. But what if it’s not? In a computer simulation of a typical seven-layer organization, researchers randomly assigned performance ratings from 1 to 100 for both men and women. Without any misjudgment, they saw equal representation at the top (50% men, 50% women). Then researchers introduced one subtle shift: women’s ratings capped at 99 instead of 100. The result? Only 35% women reached the top. One small misjudgment, compounded across layers, created a 30% leadership gap. Not loud, overt discrimination. Just subtle signals we send: -Who gets labeled “strategic” -Who gets called “reliable” -Who receives stretch assignments, and who quietly gets overlooked. Early in my career, I saw two brilliant performers. One was consistently introduced as "a rising star." The other as "a solid performer." Guess who got the career defining project and the visibility that comes with it? Small advantages compound. So do small disadvantages. The fix isn't flashy. It's intentional: -Notice the language used in evaluations. -Pay attention to who gets sponsored. -Challenge your own assumptions. Quiet actions create powerful ripple effects. This research has been around a while, yet these patterns persist. Let’s interrupt them together. Have you seen one simple word change someone’s entire career trajectory? #LeadershipEquity #PsychologyAtWork #PeopleDecisions #PerformanceNotPerception #QuietRebellion #InclusiveLeadership

Women got overlooked for their ideas so often that they had to invent a word for it. In 2017, Nicole Gugliucci, a professor of astronomy and physics, tweeted about a phenomenon every woman in a meeting knows too well. She and her friends coined the term “hepeated” after watching idea after idea from women fall flat… Until a man repeated the same point, and suddenly it was brilliant. Her tweet went viral because women everywhere recognized it instantly. And it’s not anecdotal. Research shows that in mixed-gender groups, men are significantly more likely to be credited for ideas that women first voiced. That recognition gap compounds over time, shaping who gets promoted, who’s seen as a “thought leader,” and who fades into the background. The problem isn’t that women lack ideas. It’s that the system lacks equal acknowledgment. I’ve seen this dynamic play out across industries, from tech boardrooms to federal leadership meetings. It’s not always overt, but it’s persistent. The solutions aren’t complicated: ✔️ Give credit to the originator. ✔️ Repeat her name when repeating her idea. ✔️ Call out “hepeating” when it happens. Women don’t need an echo chamber. They need their voices to be recognized the first time. Change begins when awareness turns into action, and when allyship becomes habit. 💬 Have you ever had your idea repeated? How did you respond? Image credit: Esther Choo (💌Subscribe to my newsletter with the link in the comment)

Being a successful woman puts a bullseye on her and she is attacked.  Often the higher she climbs the worse it gets. Most professional women go through a remarkable array of b.s. as they climb the corporate ladder. Enough! Throughout my career, I would watch as famous “successful” women were professionally skewered. It still seems they can’t do anything right.  Marissa Mayer was targeted when she was CEO of Yahoo. Kamala Harris, regardless of your political views, has had to endure an unthinkable range of derogatory remarks. Simone Biles, gymnastic GOAT, has endured countless mean-spirited attacks. And no matter how many records Taylor Swift breaks, she has innumerable crosshairs targeting her. I would also watch many of the female leaders I worked with experience the same thing. Comments on their dress, values, date worthiness, voice, & looks is commonplace. The absurd list goes on. I do not accept the premise that we should normalize these behaviors or, even worse, assume the onus is on the victims or targeted women alone to fix it. The solution? (Other ideas welcome!) 1️⃣ Champion women. Regardless of gender identity, instead of tearing down, ANY PERSON can celebrate the accomplishments of women: colleagues, bosses, directs, journalists. Never hesitate to shine a light on women! 2️⃣ Mentor women. Having a vested interest in the success of women can help raise awareness. Inevitably I’ve seen a lot of people have significant “ah-hah” moments when they mentor a female & start learning about the breadth of what she endures. I ask everyone to look around & ask themselves are there as many women as men in my chosen profession or at my level? Why? Is there something I can do? 3️⃣ Treat women as professionals. Like all humans, women deserve to be treated with respect, dignity & as equals. What this doesn’t look like is mocking women on chat threads when they present (seen that many times!). Nor is hitting on women on LinkedIn appropriate. Yes, you can still go to lunch! Happy hour. Dinners! BE DECENT is a minimal guardrail! And discontinue holding women to a higher standard or normalize them having to work 10x as hard to achieve success! 4️⃣ Whether you agree there is a problem, I encourage every person to develop a list of successful women. One of my favorite ways to combat sexism is to push people to identify women they DO think are successful when they start attacking women. Why? I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been met with silence when I ask someone to name 5 successful female leaders. A lot of people aren’t used to or even comfortable talking positively about women. Half the battle is recognizing the problem statement to fix it! Thankfully, even though I have encountered no shortage of offenders, I can say I am fortunate to have worked with many men & women who did get this right & recognized I deserved to be treated as a colleague, client, & fellow professional leader. What are your thoughts? #sexism #leadership