[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” module_alignment=”center” min_height=”1000px” height=”1000px” custom_margin=”-27px|||-7px|false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px|0px|true|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what a senior female executive confided in me recently. After decades of delivering results, mentoring others, and earning her seat at the table, she now feels renewed pressure to validate her worth. With growing pushback against DEI initiatives, she\u2019s not alone.<\/p>\n
Across industries, accomplished women are facing intensified scrutiny\u2014not because their contributions have changed, but because the narrative around who deserves a seat at the table is shifting. The merit of women and other historically underrepresented groups in leadership is being questioned in ways it hasn\u2019t been in years. And that questioning can feel personal, frustrating, even exhausting.<\/p>\n
But here\u2019s the truth: we don\u2019t need to prove our worth\u2014we need to own it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And the data is on our side. A 2023 McKinsey & Company<\/a> study<\/u><\/a> found that companies with diverse leadership teams are 39% more likely to outperform competitors\u2014a statistic that remains consistent across industries. Similarly, <\/em>Harvard Business Review<\/u><\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/u><\/em> research shows that women consistently score higher than men in 17 of 19 key leadership capabilities, including emotional intelligence, resilience, and collaboration\u2014qualities that drive long-term success.<\/p>\n Yet despite this overwhelming evidence, women still face an uphill battle. The \u201cbroken rung\u201d in leadership pipelines remains a persistent barrier, with only 87 women promoted to management for every 100 men, according to McKinsey\u2019s 2024 Women in the Workplace <\/a>report. And now, with increasing skepticism toward DEI, the pressure to \u201cre-prove\u201d ourselves has ratcheted up again.<\/p>\n But here\u2019s the thing: this is not the moment to shrink, retreat, or waste energy justifying why we belong at the table. Instead, it\u2019s the time to push forward more boldly, more visibly, and with even greater conviction in the value we bring. The fate of DEI programs does not define our worth\u2014we do.<\/p>\n History shows that progress is never linear. Periods of pushback have always followed periods of progress. The women who broke barriers before us\u2014from Fortune 500 CEOs to Supreme Court Justices\u2014didn\u2019t wait for validation. They stepped up, spoke up, and owned their worth, even when others questioned it.<\/p>\n So, rather than letting this moment pull us down, we must use it to push forward. We have earned our place\u2014not because of any initiative, but because we are damn good at what we do.<\/p>\n While structural changes are critical, women can also be their own catalyst for change. Here are three ways to accelerate action – the theme for this year’s International Women\u2019s Day- and get started.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_video src=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ajhd7SHzr6E” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||22px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_video][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”22px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Women often second-guess themselves, downplaying their unique strengths while overvaluing the qualities they think they \u201cshould\u201d have. They over-credit their teams, under-credit themselves, and underestimate their competence\u2014even when their performance is equal to or better than their male peers.<\/p>\n Yet, the most effective leaders leverage their differences, not suppress them. As Jane Fraser, CEO of Citigroup and the first woman to lead a major Wall Street bank, put it:<\/p>\n \u201cI lead with humility and humanity. That\u2019s how I build trust. That\u2019s how I get results.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Your difference is your greatest asset\u2014not something to downplay. When you own your value, you magnify it.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_video src=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=w6LMaEEzMJw” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_video][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n A common obstacle I see among female leaders across all sectors? Self-doubt. Even the most accomplished women battle it. Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo, admitted that after decades of experience, she still encountered moments of uncertainty. But she also shared this hard-won wisdom:<\/p>\n \u201cIf you sit around waiting for the perfect moment, you\u2019ll never do anything. Jump in. Figure it out.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Yet many women hesitate, waiting until they feel 100% ready before going after new opportunities. A Hewlett-Packard study found that men apply for jobs when they meet 60% of the qualifications, while women wait until they meet 100%. Women are also more likely to attribute success to luck or external factors, whereas men credit their own abilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n I\u2019ve seen this pattern play out countless times. I\u2019ve rarely met a woman whose confidence was writing checks her competence couldn\u2019t deliver on. I cannot say the same of men. \u00a0Women hesitate\u2014not because they lack capability, but because they feel like they have to be 150% competence before they even apply. Yet if you knew exactly how to do a job on day one, it wouldn\u2019t be worth taking. As I wrote in <\/em>The Courage Gap<\/em>,<\/a> any goal that isn\u2019t stretching you beyond what you can already comfortably do, isn\u2019t worthy of you!<\/p>\n Confidence isn\u2019t something you wait to feel, which risks you spending your entire life in a waiting room. Rather it\u2019s something you build by taking action despite fear. Often the best opportunities come when we decide to take the leap before we feel fully ready,\u00a0behaving our way into believing.<\/a><\/p>\n The space between what you\u2019re capable of and what you actually do? That\u2019s your courage gap. The only way to close it is to step forward even as your fear urges you to pull back, play it safe, and stay right where you are.<\/p>\n Courage precedes confidence.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-17px||||false|false” custom_padding=”7px||0px||false|false” link_option_url=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/eVINOOgLVJo” link_option_url_new_window=”on” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_video src=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/eVINOOgLVJo” src_webm=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/eVINOOgLVJo” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_video][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”22px||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, transformed the company and redefined leadership in a male-dominated industry. Her advice?<\/p>\n \u201cDo every job like you\u2019re going to do it for the rest of your life and demonstrate that ownership mentality.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The truth is, women who break barriers don\u2019t wait until they feel fully ready\u2014they give themselves permission to step up and figure it out along the way, just as men have always done. By the way, this is not a criticism of me, it\u2019s a rally cry to women!\u00a0<\/p>\n Take Michelle McKay, who became CEO of Cushman & Wakefield in an industry long dominated by men, or Mary Barra at GM, or Jane Fraser at Citibank. These women didn\u2019t have all the answers when they stepped into the top job\u2014but they backed themselves to find the best solutions to the challenges their businesses faced as they went along.\u00a0<\/p>\n Putting our energy into proving our value robs energy from the impact we can make when we own our value.<\/p>\n Women in leadership have never had the luxury of waiting for the playing field to be even or for things to be fair. But we do have the power to decide how we show up, regardless of what\u2019s trending around us.<\/p>\n We can stand tall in our worth, and embrace our unique feminine leadership strengths.\u00a0<\/p>\n We can defy the doubts the doubts that would otherwise leave us a victim of imposter syndrome (which I\u2019ve written about before<\/a>).<\/p>\n We can make a the most important bet we ever need to make – on ourselves – even as our fear is urging us not to.<\/p>\n After all, \u00a0courage isn\u2019t about being fearless. It\u2019s about refusing to let fear dictate the future. \u00a0<\/p>\n So, whether you\u2019re looking to take the next step in your career or reach the very top, consider this your permission slip to stop proving and start owning. When you trade proving yourself for backing yourself – \u00a0fully, boldly, unapologetically – you reclaim the power given to the naysayers and start leading with courage the people and world around you truly needs. \u00a0<\/p>\n That\u2019s the starting point of your greatest impact.<\/p>\n1. Own Your Difference\u2014It\u2019s Your Strength<\/h3>\n
2. Jump In\u2014Don\u2019t Wait To Feel 100% Ready<\/h3>\n
3. Bet on Yourself\u2014Every Day<\/h3>\n