Advocacy for Women in Leadership

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 in a male-dominated field, you've probably heard: “You have to work twice as hard.” But hard work alone isn't enough. Here's what actually helps you thrive 👇 1️⃣ Own your expertise, don't wait for validation. Many women hesitate to speak up until they feel 100% qualified. Men don't wait, they take space. 👉 Instead of saying: “I think this might work,” say: “Based on my experience, this is the best approach.” Confidence isn't about knowing everything, it's about backing what you do know. 2️⃣ Build a powerful inner circle. Success isn't a solo game. You need allies, not just colleagues. 👉 Find mentors who challenge you. Build relationships with decision-makers. Collaborate with women in your industry. Your circle shapes your opportunities. 3️⃣ Speak up even when it's uncomfortable. Being the only woman in the room can feel intimidating, but silence isn't an option. 👉 Prepare talking points before meetings. Challenge ideas with facts. If interrupted, reclaim your time: "Hold on, I’d love to finish my thought before we move on." Your voice isn’t optional. It’s necessary. 4️⃣ Negotiate without apologizing. Women tend to ask for opportunities. Men often expect them. It’s time to change that. 👉 Don’t say, “Would it be okay if I got a raise?” Say, “Based on my results, I’d like a pay adjustment.” You don’t owe gratitude for fair pay. You deserve it. 5️⃣ Turn bias into strategy. Reality check: bias exists. But you can make it work for you. 👉 If you’re underestimated, surprise them with results. If you’re labeled too ambitious, own it and deliver. If you’re not invited to the table, pull up your own chair. Let bias fuel your success, not block it. 6️⃣ Elevate other women. True success isn’t about thriving alone, it’s about opening doors for others. 👉 Recommend women for leadership roles. Acknowledge their ideas in meetings. Advocate for fair policies. When women support women, industries shift. ✨ Thriving isn’t about fitting in, it’s about standing strong in who you are and making space for others to rise with you. How do you make your voice heard? 💬 #WomenInLeadership #CareerGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment #Empowerment #CareerAdvice

Companies worldwide have already begun their performance of allyship - in support of Women's History Month and IWD by supporting the women they employ, few of whom hold senior leadership roles. For leaders and companies serious about creating opportunities for women, here's what actually works: 1️⃣ Stop treating gender equity like a special initiative you champion in March with a panel discussion. That's not structural change. That's performance. 2️⃣ Implement structural transparency in compensation, promotion criteria, sponsorship pathways, and decision rights. If the path to advancement is unclear, it's by design. So interrupt it: Publish salary bands. Make promotion criteria explicit. Remove the mystery that keeps power concentrated. Opportunities are not created by inspiration. They are created by incentive structures and accountability. 3️⃣ Dismantle informal gatekeeping. When advancement depends on informal networks, "culture fit," or proximity to power, women lose. Especially women of the Global Majority, mothers, and those who don't perform leadership in historically masculine ways. 4️⃣ Sponsor women. Women are over-mentored and under-sponsored. They don't need more coaching on navigating broken systems or building confidence. They need power. Share power. 5️⃣ Redistribute care work. Women carry the invisible labor that keeps companies running - organising events, emotional support, administrative tasks no one gets promoted for. If it's not in the job description and it's not compensated, stop expecting women to do it. 6️⃣ Hold men accountable for equity work. Gender equity isn't a women's issue - it's a power issue. If only women are responsible for fixing it, nothing changes. Men need to do the work, not delegate it. 7️⃣ Importantly, women are not a monolith. Women are not only white, slim, heterosexual, or non-disabled. They are also Black, Indigenous, Latina, African, Asian, fat, short, queer, disabled. They have straight, curly, and afro hair. They don't sound alike and they have opinions that differentiate them from a doormat. 📍For women seeking workplace progression, some advice using my Three Clarities framework: 1️⃣ Identity: Know who you are. Stop asking for permission. Start building leverage. 2️⃣ Context: Understand the system you're in, know what it rewards, then adapt strategically or leave. 3️⃣ Power: Know what you can influence. Build power. Secure sponsors. If no one is speaking your name in rooms, your effort is invisible. Control your narrative. If you don't define your story, others will. To manage your expectations: you can do everything right and still not advance, because the system wasn't designed to reward you. That's not on you! That's the system behaving as designed. Believe it and know when to exit. Don't stay loyal to systems that don't invest in you. Sometimes progression means climbing the ladder, and sometimes, the courage to leave. - #RightsJusticeAction #LinkedInNewsEurope #IWD26

Today is Women’s Equal Pay Day. The day that marks how far into 2026 women had to work to earn what men earned in 2025 alone. Yesterday I was on CNN Headlines with Brad Smith talking about why the most qualified women keep getting passed over for promotions. The timing of this conversation is not lost on me. This post is for the executives, the Chief People Officers, the heads of talent management and learning and development who are sitting at the table right now making hard decisions about what your organization’s commitment to women’s advancement actually looks like in 2026 and beyond. I know the pressure you’re under. I know some of you have had to pull back programs like sponsorship initiatives, leadership development cohorts, targeted advancement pathways as a risk management response to the current federal environment. The McKinsey & Company and Lean In 2025 Women in the Workplace report confirms it. Formal sponsorship programs for women have dropped from 31% of companies in 2017 to just 16% today. For women of color, 8%. At the same time, women with sponsors are promoted at nearly twice the rate of those without. 🚨Here’s what I want you to hear directly: Pulling back on the infrastructure that advances women is not neutral. It is a decision with a measurable costs in retention, in pipeline, in performance, and in the trust of every woman watching what your organization does next. You don’t have to call it DEI. But you do have to decide whether representation across every level of your organization is a priority, and then build the systems that reflect that decision. A few things still within your control right now: 1. Protect sponsorship. Formal programs may be scrutinized but manager-led advocacy is not. Equip your leaders to actively advocate for high-potential women in talent reviews, succession conversations, and promotion cycles. 2. Audit your broken rung. For every 100 men promoted to manager, only 81 women are. That gap compounds at every subsequent level. Find it. Fix it. 3. Tie visibility to advancement. Women are often told to work harder. The data shows the barrier isn’t performance its positioning. Build development pathways that teach women how to communicate their value, build executive presence, and become known for what they deliver. 4. Hold the line on accountability. The organizations making the most progress on women’s representation share one common practice: senior leaders are held accountable for advancement outcomes, not just intentions. The leaders who protect this work right now quietly, strategically, and with conviction will have a talent advantage in three years that their competitors will not be able to close quickly. I’m covering the intersection of leadership, AI, and the future of women’s earning power live on April 9 at The Income Shift. Registration link in the comments. Keep thriving!

Girls from small towns don’t fly helicopters. That’s what they told me when I was growing up in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand. They said flying was for men. That women should “choose something safer.” That I should be realistic. If I had listened, I would have never become 🏆 India’s first woman helicopter pilot to land at the world’s highest Advanced Landing Ground. And yet, decades later, I see women in leadership being told the same things in a different way: “You need to be more likable.” “You should wait for your turn.” “You’re not ready yet.” Enough. It’s 2025. Women don’t need permission and useless advice to lead. As an executive coach, I’ve worked with thousands of women who were overlooked for promotions, undervalued despite results, and stuck in mid-level roles while less-experienced colleagues moved up. I helped them: ◼️ Build their executive presence ◼️ Position themselves for top roles ◼️ Negotiate the salaries they deserve ◼️ Break barriers and thrive in leadership So, dear women, don’t wait to be noticed. Position yourself strategically, build influence, and claim your space. Let's talk! #AccelerateAction #WomenInLeadership #ExecutiveCoaching #CareerGrowth #NamritaChandi

We Want What You Aren’t: 30 Identity-Based Barriers Women Leaders Face Women in leadership roles are subjected to relentless criticisms—often unrelated to their performance. From being told they’re "too young" or "too old" to being judged on their appearance, personality, or even marital status, it’s clear: for many, the standards for women leaders are impossible to meet. A recent study by Amy Diehl, PhD, Leanne Dzubinski PhD & Amber L. Stephenson of 913 women leaders across industries found that 30 different identity-based factors can become the target of bias and discrimination. One participant explained: "When I hit my late 50s, there seemed to be questions about whether I was ready for retirement. My job performance was excellent, and I don't think this was prompted by anything except my age—and I didn’t see that happening with males in my profession." Another revealed: "I was asked in an interview why I wanted a man’s job. I’m a CFO—that’s the job they were referring to." These quotes reveal a harsh truth: almost any aspect of a woman’s identity can be used to question her leadership suitability. These criticisms don’t just hurt individuals—they perpetuate systemic gender inequality. 💡 How do we break this cycle? ✅ Call out biases for what they are: When a woman is criticized for being "too ambitious" or "not nurturing enough," ask whether a man would face the same scrutiny. ✅ Address the structures: Organizations must reevaluate policies and processes that allow biases to persist, especially in recruitment, promotions, and leadership evaluations. ✅ Foster male allyship: Men can use their privilege to challenge discriminatory behaviors, advocate for gender equity, and actively support women by amplifying their contributions and addressing bias when it occurs. ✅ Amplify diverse voices: Women from marginalized groups often face compounded biases. Their experiences must be heard and addressed to create truly inclusive workplaces. Women don’t need to change—our systems and mindsets do. It’s time to create spaces where leaders are valued for their skills, not judged on their conformity. What’s one bias you’ve encountered (or witnessed) in the workplace? #Leadership #GenderBias #WomenInLeadership Diehl, A. B., Dzubinski, L. M., & Stephenson, A. L. (2024). Never quite right: Identity factors contributing to bias and discrimination experienced by women leaders in the United States. Human Resource Development Quarterly. https://lnkd.in/d7yzuTbt

Some women break glass ceilings. Some become gatekeepers once they get through them. That’s one of the conversations we need to have. But research on the “Queen Bee” phenomenon shows something uncomfortable: in male-dominated systems, some women leaders distance themselves from other women to survive and succeed. The research is also clear on something else: this behavior is often a response to organizational cultures built around scarcity, bias, and competition — not proof that women are inherently unsupportive of one another. Which means we have a choice. We can perpetuate the culture that taught us there was only room for one woman at the table. Or we can lead differently once we arrive. Ladies, can we please agree to stop being THAT kind of leader – reach down and pull up other women with great potential! Mentor the woman in the meeting. Credit her ideas. Back her authority when she speaks. Open the door. We do not change workplace culture simply by adding women to leadership. We change it by refusing to recreate the dynamics that harmed us on the way up. This kind of leadership does not happen by accident. It can be learned, modeled, and intentionally built. If you want to lead this way or build teams that do, reach out #UnapologeticAdvocate #LeadershipStrategy #WomenInLeadership

Delighted to share this new Research Article just published today in PLOS Global Public Health from authors Amanda Marr Chung, Ola A., and Michele Barry, MD, DTM, FACP, FASTMH Male allyship to advance women’s leadership in global health academia: A qualitative study Women comprise nearly 70% of the global health workforce, yet they hold only a quarter of senior leadership roles (this statistic is sadly not new, but it stops me in my tracks every time). This new qualitative study in PLOS Global Public Health examines why that gap persists—and what can be done about it—through the lens of male allyship. Drawing on in‑depth interviews with mid‑ and senior‑career global health leaders in the U.S. and Canada, the research highlights how structural barriers, caregiving expectations, workplace culture, and second‑generation gender bias continue to drive a “leaky pipeline” for women, particularly women of color. The study goes beyond diagnosing the problem by offering concrete, actionable recommendations for men to act as effective allies at individual, institutional, and societal levels. Participants emphasized that allyship is not self‑declared but earned through ongoing, intentional actions: sponsoring women into visible leadership roles, stepping aside to create space, challenging bias in meetings, refusing “manels,” and normalizing shared caregiving. Importantly, the findings underscore the role of intersectionality—showing how experiences of marginalization can shape empathy, awareness, and commitment to equity. Crucially, the research makes clear that individual good intentions are not enough. Institutions must create enabling environments through policies, incentives, metrics, and accountability structures that reward allyship and gender equity. From flexible work policies and paid leave to leadership training and funder requirements, the authors argue that systemic change is essential. The study offers a timely, evidence‑informed toolkit for advancing women’s leadership in global health—reminding us that equity is not only a moral imperative, but a driver of better science, stronger institutions, and more effective global health outcomes. They also contributed a lovely blog post that dives further into these themes - please check the comments for a link. It's essential work and I'm really grateful that the authors chose PLOS Global Public Health as a safe space to share it. I'm also grateful to Academic Editor Naveed Noor for handling this paper through peer review. 🙏 https://lnkd.in/gJDU-Hfx

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