Advocacy for Women in Leadership

Lean In's report shows women are less likely to want promotion. 80% vs 86%. They call it an "ambition gap." Y'all, I love Lean In's work. Their data always helps me serve our clients at Perfeqta better. But this framing? We need to talk about it. Because the same report shows something powerful: When women get equal sponsorship and advocacy, this "gap" completely disappears. So it was never about ambition. It was about advocacy. I see this daily with the brilliant women we work with. They're not lacking drive. They're lacking cultures who champion them. Leaders who open doors. Systems that see their potential without requiring twice the proof. What gives me hope? Companies are starting to get it. The ones creating formal sponsorship programs. Making advocacy a measured leadership competency. Building systems where talent gets seen, not overlooked. And listen, when organizations fix the advocacy gap? Women don't just match men's ambition for advancement - they exceed it. Because we've always wanted it. We just needed someone to believe we deserved it. To every leader reading this: Your advocacy changes careers. That entry-level woman on your team? She needs you to see her potential and say it out loud. In rooms where decisions get made. What's one way your organization is closing the advocacy gap? I'd love to hear what's working. #WomenInLeadership #companyculture #inclusion #belonging #SponsorshipMatters

Hear me out. I’ve witnessed dismissive comments and gendered biases undermining women leaders. Unfortunately, rigid gender roles continue to limit women’s opportunities to lead without facing criticism. Even in the most inclusive workplaces. Women leaders continue to be second-guessed, judged more harshly, and held to unfair standards. This doesn’t just harm individual careers—it weakens the entire organization’s ability to innovate, adapt, and grow. Here’s how senior executives can reshape workplace culture to ensure that every leader, regardless of gender, is valued and empowered: 1. Challenge sexist language and behaviors to ensure respect and inclusion at every level of the organization. 2. Implement leadership training programs that focus on eliminating unconscious bias and promoting equality. 3. Foster open conversations about workplace culture to ensure all employees feel heard and supported. 4. Revise organizational policies to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, ensuring gender is never a barrier to leadership. 5. Support women in leadership roles, giving them the same opportunities and respect as their male counterparts. Let’s create an environment where leaders are judged by their abilities, not outdated gender norms.

Every year on International Women’s Day, my feed fills up with thoughtful posts—from men and women—thanking the women in their lives. And while appreciation is great, the reality is that women are still underpaid, under-promoted, and underrepresented in leadership. So this year, instead of just saying thank you, let’s ask: What are we actually doing to change that? ✅ Pay Equity Isn’t a “Nice to Have”—It’s a Business Imperative. My recent experience at Syndio taught me that pay gaps don’t close themselves. Companies that regularly audit pay, address inequities, and commit to transparency aren’t just doing the right thing—they’re building stronger, more competitive, and lasting workplaces. ✅ Hire, Promote, and Sponsor Women. If your leadership team or pipeline is mostly men, it’s not by accident. Be intentional about who gets hired, who gets the big projects, and who gets a seat at the table. ✅ Parental Leave & Caregiving Support Shouldn’t Be Career Killers. Women still carry the majority of caregiving responsibilities, and it impacts their careers. Fair parental leave, flexible work policies, and support for caregivers benefit everyone—not just women. ✅ Call Out Bias When You See It. That woman who got talked over in the meeting? The idea she voiced that was ignored until a man repeated it? Don’t just notice—speak up. Being an ally means taking action in the moment. ✅ Invest in Women’s Careers & Ventures. Fund female founders. Mentor women in your industry. Advocate for women to get leadership opportunities. The more women rise, the better workplaces (and businesses) become. Gratitude is great. But real change comes from action. What’s one thing you’re committing to today to make workplaces better for women? #IWD2025 #InternationalWomensDay #GenderEquity #EqualPay #WomenInLeadership

“Too confident.” “Too ambitious.” “Too much.” Funny how the things that make men leaders… are the same things that make women a “problem.” And we call that a confidence gap? It’s not. It’s an opportunity gap. - For every 100 men promoted to manager, only 87 women are. - Women of color? Just 73. Women are less likely to be promoted based on potential. More likely to receive personality-based feedback instead of performance-based. And constantly navigating a double bind: - Be confident, but not too confident. - Be strong, but stay “likable.” So what happens? We over-prepare before speaking up. We shrink our accomplishments to stay palatable. We live in fear of being “too much” for rooms we’ve already earned a seat in. And when we finally do advocate for ourselves? We get labeled. “Aggressive.” “Difficult.” “Not a team player.” This isn’t a confidence issue. It’s a systems issue. -> Confidence in women is often perceived as a threat. -> Assertiveness is misread as arrogance. -> Leadership potential goes unseen because it doesn’t come in the expected “package.” Confidence grows where it’s safe to show up fully. Opportunity fuels self-belief - not the other way around. So if we want more women leaders? ✅ Stop promoting based on tenure alone - look at potential. ✅ Sponsor women the way we mentor men. ✅ Redefine leadership to include collaboration, empathy, and intuition. Women don’t need fixing. The system does. PS: What’s one leadership challenge you’ve faced as a woman - or seen another woman go through?

You're losing your best leaders, and it’s not about money. Women leaders are walking out the door, saying, "It just wasn't working for me anymore." Most companies assume it's pay equity, work-life balance issues or career changes. But you're not supporting them when it matters most. You’ve invested in supporting women leaders through career development, maternity leave, flexible schedules, and more. But those systems only cover one chapter. What happens to your leaders when they need support for the rest of their story? 👉🏽 What about the sleepless nights of perimenopause? 👉🏽 What about the mental health toll of balancing caregiving, team leadership, and chronic stress? 👉🏽 What about navigating menopause while driving company growth? 👉🏽Managing the quiet burnout of being “the only woman in the room”? 👉🏽 The chronic fatigue of autoimmune conditions that disproportionately impact women? These are personal and leadership challenges. And when they're ignored, your leaders pay the price, and so does your company. Women leaders who feel supported through all stages of life bring unmatched value to your organization. They're productive, committed, innovative, and ready to grow with you. See Transitions as Opportunities:  Redesign leadership policies to provide tangible support for major life changes, such as menopause, caregiving, or chronic conditions. Proactively Address Health and Mental Well-Being: Build leadership systems that integrate mental and physical health resources into daily operations, providing tangible support for challenges like caregiving, chronic conditions, and menopause, not just during crises. Redesign Leadership Policies: Move beyond generic perks to develop health-centered, life-stage-specific policies that empower leaders to perform and grow without burning out. Map Critical Leadership Gaps: Identify how transitions like caregiving, aging, and health changes impact leadership and create proactive strategies to minimize disruptions. Create Age-Inclusive Leadership Pipelines: Aligning mentorship, career paths, and support systems with long-term development can transform every life stage into a leadership advantage. Train for Adaptive Leadership: Equip managers with the tools to recognize and leverage life transitions as opportunities for growth, team building, and employee engagement. What’s stopping your workplace from leading in keeping and growing women leaders for the long haul? #leadership #worklife #menopause #women #HR

“Loudness is not in volume – it’s in conviction. In courage.” Commissioner for Health Dr. Adaeze Oreh from Nigeria shares what every organization needs to hear: real leadership isn’t gendered—but opportunity often is. Women in leadership don’t just need support. They need: • Access to challenge – because leadership is proven in complexity. • Space for growth – through intentional career development. • Clear recognition of their value – framing contributions to population health and equity. • Courageous allies who understand that true transformation is not just gender-responsive, but gender-transformative. Let’s open doors, frame work in its full impact, and remember that proximity to greatness has no gender – but access to it must be made equitable. This is more than inclusion. This is strategy. #WomenInLeadership #EquityMatters #PublicHealthLeadership #GenderTransformative #InclusiveLeadership #GlobalHealth

Advocacy is Rare. But You Know Who's Fighting for Black Women in Budget Meetings? Nobody. Your manager saying "I'll advocate for you" in January doesn't matter when budgets locked in October. That's not advocacy. That's performance. 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞: It's not performance review promises. It's Q3 documentation that survives VP scrutiny. It's not "I'll see what I can do." It's a forwardable memo with your value in budget language. It's not good intentions after the fact. It's positioning before the pool closes. Brad understood this. That's why he was golfing with the VP in September. Building relationships. Dropping numbers. Getting his name into conversations you didn't know were happening. Meanwhile, you were perfecting your self-assessment in January. For a budget that locked three months earlier. He wasn't working harder. He was working earlier. And he had someone in the room when it mattered. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡: Presence isn't advocacy. Promises aren't advocacy. "I believe in you" isn't advocacy. Advocacy is documentation that enters the budget conversation before it ends. Advocacy is a case your manager can forward upstream without rewriting it. Advocacy is evidence that survives finance scrutiny. Most Black women don't have that. Not because they don't deserve it. Because nobody taught them the calendar. 𝐒𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬. Become undeniable with boardroom-ready documentation. Not a self-assessment. Not a list of accomplishments. A reconciliation document that answers the only question Finance cares about: Why should more of the allocated budget move to you? Q3 isn't early. It's on time. Everything after is theater. Thank You; It's True™ #BlackWomensWealthLab #CompensationGovernance #InvoiceYourWorth

I once sat in a performance review where a female colleague received feedback like, "You need to soften your tone in meetings." Meanwhile, her male counterpart got advice about honing his skills in digital marketing to drive better results. This wasn't an isolated incident. Women are often given feedback on their style—how they speak, how they present themselves—while men are given feedback on their skills and performance. This difference is subtle but significant. When we tell women to adjust their style but don’t offer specific, actionable guidance on improving their roles, we hold them back from real growth. It sends the message that success is about fitting in rather than developing the skills that actually move the needle. The impact? Women miss out on critical opportunities for advancement. They don't get the feedback they need to improve in measurable ways while men are groomed for the next significant role. We need to change this if we want to see more women in leadership. It starts with giving women the same actionable, skill-based feedback we offer men. Instead of vague critiques, we need to focus on growth areas tied to business outcomes. For example, rather than saying, "You need to be less direct," say, "Deepen your analytics knowledge so we can optimize our strategy." Clear, actionable feedback empowers women to build the expertise they need to move forward. It’s how we help them close performance gaps, earn promotions, and contribute to the organization's growth. We all have a role to play in this. Giving women the feedback they need isn’t just about helping them—it’s about strengthening the entire team and creating a more equitable workplace. What’s one way you can provide actionable feedback today? Tired of watching women get vague feedback that holds them back? Subscribe to the ELEVATE newsletter for no-nonsense advice on giving women the feedback they need to grow, thrive, and lead—because it's time we start getting real about progress. https://elevateasia.org/

Can you #inpsireinclusion if you are invisible at work? The theme for International Women's Month is Inspire Inclusion and since Friday LinkedIn has been flooded with posts from women, IWD events, conferences etc. But what happens at the end of March? While there are structural and institutional dynamics that prevent the inclusion of women in the corporate arena, there are also personal choices we make as women that ultimately, though perhaps unintentionally, lead to our exclusion. Here are a few and what we can do about it going forward 1. Eliminate the vicious cycle of self doubt, impostor syndrome and invisibility- the more we doubt our expertise, feel unworthy or ‘lucky’ to be in the positions we hold, the less likely we are to show up, powerfully. As women we are constantly in the ‘prove our worth’, space with our heads buried in work. But buried things dont get seen and are automatically excluded. Instead let us own the spaces we are in and show up for ourselves and other women who need to see us to know it is possible. 2. Understand networking isn't a dirty word- I’ve yet to find a successful female leader who doesn't have a powerful network of strategic sponsors, mentors, allies and a high level board of advisors. It doesn't happen overnight but we all need people to succeed. Having the right people around you who are aware of the phenomenal work you do is key for inclusion. 3. Amplify the voices of other women- We must strategically amplify the voices of women at all levels. From meetings, kitchen cabinet conversations right to the Boardroom and not only in March. Give women you know the kudos they deserve. Amplify her ideas in meetings, put her forward for speaking engagements, dont count her out because she has a young family. Notice and publicly reward deserving women, especially those who find it difficult to self advocate. 4. Build your self advocacy muscle- No one can talk about the work you do like you. Why? You have a unique combination of skills, experience and expertise. Even if a specific topic has been discussed multiple times, you can still add a level of nuance to the conversation. We must advocate for ourselves, tell people about the opportunities we need, throw our hat in the ring and not be afraid to share what we know in the spaces that matter. This is how we can build inclusion for ourselves and others. 5. Show up as female leaders- As women we underestimate the role we play as signposts for younger women. When I was at a career crossroads, I found women, both near and far, who helped me navigate my own career decisions. I am eternally grateful that they were visible and authentic with their stories of life and career. If the theme #inspireinclusion will have any lasting impact beyond March 31st, you and I will need to continue to show up and include ourselves while also creating spaces for the women that come after us. What other ways can we continue to #inspireinclusion beyond 2024 #IWD2024

This #internationalwomensday I'm turning the spotlight on us - my fellow men in leadership. Dear men in leadership, are we part of the problem or the solution in women's #leadership journey? It's time for a heart-to-heart. As a man in a position of influence, I've had to ask myself some tough questions. For decades, women have been pushing against glass ceilings, navigating gender biases, and fighting for seats at the leadership table. But here's the thing: It's 2024, and we're still talking about "the first woman to..." milestones. It makes me wonder, are we, as men, doing enough to change the narrative? Or are we unintentionally holding the pen that continues to write a story of inequality? Let's talk about being allies. Real allies. Not just in words, but in actions. How do we move from passive supporters to active champions for women leading from the front? Here's where we can start: A. Listen More - Before we can be part of the solution, we need to understand the problem. And that starts by listening more. B. #empathy starts at home and drives behavioral #change - Create an ecosystem that you expect for your partner, sisters, and mothers at their respective workplaces. If you root for them at home, it is time you start rooting for your fellow women colleagues too. C. Challenge the Status Quo - It's comfortable to go with the flow, especially when the current system benefits you. But growth and change come from discomfort. D. #inspireinclusion - Ultimately, fostering a culture of respect and inclusivity where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute to their fullest potential is perhaps the most significant action an ally can take. E. Sponsorship - Mentoring is great, but sponsorship is where we see significant impact. Use your chivalry to open doors that matter, recommend them for projects and promotions, and ensure they get the visibility they deserve. F. Educate yourself and others - The journey of allyship is ongoing. It's about creating an environment where everyone, regardless of gender, can thrive. This conversation is just the beginning. I want to hear from my LinkedIn community- both men and women. 1. To the men: How can we better support our women colleagues? What actions have you seen make a real difference? 2. To the women: What do you need from us, your allies, to help you lead from the front? Let's use this space to share, learn, and grow together. Your thoughts, experiences, and suggestions are not just welcome—they're needed. Happy Women’s Day to all of us! #genderequality #allyship #iwd2024 #gratitude