Inspiration from Women in Leadership Positions

One of the first, biggest, challenges many female leaders face is unconscious bias. This can be anything from a belief in gender stereotypes to subconscious attitudes about female capabilities. Bias can also manifest as preferences for women that act, speak, and dress in certain ways. A huge hindrance to overcoming these hurdles is when we do them to ourselves. When a woman has self-doubt in her abilities, it makes it difficult for her colleagues to see her full potential. 

Most people in leadership positions have confidence and exude that daily. You can see it in how they talk, how they walk, and how they think across various industries. If you’re thinking about all the ways you can’t succeed and all the obstacles, you’re putting yourself at a disadvantage. Take inspiration from some of these women who have held, or still hold, leadership positions or positions with power. Clear your mind and focus on your career development, achieving your goals and being the leader you envision for yourself.

“Gender equality will only be reached if we are able to empower women.”-  Michele Bachelete

It’s estimated women account for almost half the global workforce. Yet, only about 27% of women are in management and leadership positions. Even fewer break that glass ceiling to hold top-tier, C-suite level jobs. 

“If more women are in leadership roles, we’ll stop assuming they shouldn’t be.” –  Sheryl Sandberg

Although companies boast equal opportunity, there successful high-performing women who are looked over for leadership positions by their male counterparts. Having women in senior management roles and women executives, has been proven to grow company growth. Many companies with women in leadership see a positive impact on the company’s success and profitability.

“ If you want something said, ask a man; If you want something done, ask a woman.”- Margaret Thatcher

Since the 1990’s, the gender pay gap has been narrowing. However, women in executive positions still earn between 8% and 25% less than male executives in comparable positions.

“There’s something so special about a woman who dominates in a man’s world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and nerve to never take no for an answer.”- Rihanna, singer & business woman

Although opportunities for women have grown in the workplace, there’s still a significant gap between male and female employees in management. Females face discrimination and get stuck in entry-level roles, and many still struggle to obtain and maintain senior-leadership positions.

Rejoining Corporate America Was a Lot

I spent nearly a decade in the corporate world. Then when Covid-19 began, I was unexpectedly faced with unemployment for the first time at age 60. This experience led me to recognize the need for a career in a field deemed “essential”, should another crisis occur.

Five years later, I received an offer to return to the company in a different capacity. Executive Assistant to the CEO. I was nervous and cautious. Changing my current routine and going back to a job I enjoyed, but in a different capacity. Having been out of the corporate environment, and five years older, I had some doubts. Despite all the doubts and push back I gave myself, I accepted. I knew I had the tools capable of succeeding in this position and that I could be an asset to the company.

In this role, I collaborate closely with the marketing team, which has been incredibly inspiring and insightful. I am learning a great deal with the new team as we make changes and evolve. This position is vital for helping me maintain both currency and activity. Key aspects of staying current and active include:

• Technology Adaptation: Actively learning new software, apps, and digital tools is a critical way to keep your brain engaged and to stay up to date with relevant corporate tools.

• Networking: Continuing to connect with peers is crucial, as social interaction is essential for maintaining mental acuity and creating a collaborative work environment.

This has been a new journey for me. I pushed past my doubts and I overcome obstacles everyday. I continue to learn, grow, and surprise myself, viewing things from different perspectives. At this point, I don’t even remember the woman who was nervous and doubting her abilities to do this job.  I see so many more women in leadership positions since I was last here and that inspires me.

Recognizing the Potential of Women in Leadership Positions

Former President Barack Obama was at a Singapore Expo in 2019 and spoke about leadership. Obama said, while in office, he had mused what a world run by women would look like. He stated:

“Now women, I just want you to know; you are not perfect, but what I can say pretty indisputably is that you’re better than us [men]. I’m absolutely confident that for two years if every nation on earth was run by women, you would see a significant improvement across the board on just about everything… living standards and outcomes. He said he believed in leaders stepping aside when the time came and that if you look at the world and look at the problems, it’s usually old people, usually old men, not getting out of the way.”

This was not the first time someone mentioned the effect of women in leadership. Also noting the positive differences people and companies would see with women holding leadership roles.

“If we win the hearts and minds of employees, we’re going to have better business success.” – Mary Barra, the first woman to lead General Motors as one of the big three automakers in the United States.

“Every time we got a knock back and understood why people wouldn’t invest, we changed and revised our pitch. Failure was never an option.” – Melanie Perkins, the Co-Founder and CEO of design software platform Canva.

“Being able to put your blinders on, ignore negative opinions, and follow your strong intuition is what’s validating to me. It’s a great feeling to know you can trust your gut.” – Whitney Wolfe Herd, recognized as the youngest female self-made billionaire, who transformed Bumble into a billion-dollar brand.

“Every job I took, I was deeply uncomfortable in terms of feeling unqualified. Every step, every risk I took, built confidence.”   – Amy Hood, the CFO for Microsoft, leading the company’s financial and real estate teams.

Inspiration from Women in Leadership Who Tore Down Barriers

Arianna Huffington, influential Founder of The Huffington Post and CEO of Thrive Global.

“I talk a lot about learning to become fearless in your approach to life. But fearlessness is not the absence of fear. It’s the mastery of fear. It’s all about getting up one more time than you fall down. There’s been a real theme in my career around creating teams and environments where psychological safety is present. I definitely see that as something that all leaders should promote.

There have been situations in the past where it didn’t feel okay to be myself or have a voice. I always found it more difficult to excel in those situations. I have seen situations where other people were held back or missed out on opportunities because of their gender, education, background or even the way they spoke. In these types of situations, I try to challenge that behavior. I feel we all have a responsibility to call those things out. I’ve always felt that if you are able to be fully yourself and able to put your whole self into your work, you have the best chance of thriving and being successful.” 

 Indra Nooyi, the first woman CEO and chairman of Pepsi

“Just because you are CEO, don’t think you have landed. You must continually increase your learning, the way you think, and the way you approach the organization. I’ve never forgotten that.” 

Indra Nooyi joined PepsiCo in 1994, becoming the first woman wo hold the CEO position in 2006. During her 12-year tenure, Nooyi led a major restructuring and, in an effort to have the company provide a more balanced variety of products, oversaw the acquisition of Tropicana and a merger with Quaker Oats. Under her leadership, PepsiCo’s revenues increased from $35 billion in 2006 to $63.5 billion in 2017. In 2021, Nooyi released her memoir, “My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future. Around the same time she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.

Indra was the first woman of color, and first immigrant, to take the helm of a Fortune 50 company. She made significant strides to overcome any business challenge that occurred. PepsiCo benefited from her 12-year tenure as the company’s CEO, both in terms of profitability and environmental sustainability.

Rosalind Brewer, current Interim President and Chair of Spelman College

“Don’t be silent in the room. Even if you think you’re gonna make a mistake, that’s better than sitting there quiet because you begin to suffocate… So just get it out there and feel like you have value.”

Rosalind Brewer made many achievements as an executive for multiple companies. Most notably she was the first African American and first woman to hold executive positions at a few companies.  Rosalind was the first African American and first woman to lead a Walmart division, operations as President and CEO of Sam’s Club. She strengthened their membership engagement and enhanced food quality initiatives during her time at Sam’s Club. She then moved to Starbucks, where she became their first woman and first African American to hold the COO and Group President position. She was a driving force for their operations, as well as their diversity and inclusion. Rosalind has been a driving force amongst women in leadership, breaking glass ceilings and moving mountains for women in leadership roles.

Dr. Lisa Su, current chair and chief executive officer at AMD

“Run toward the hardest problems. This approach has helped me to learn a tremendous amount from both success and failure”.

Dr. Lisa Su joined Advanced Micro Devices as Senior Vice President in 2012. She worked her way up the ranks to CEO by 2014. She has been making strides to transform the company to be the industry’s leader in high-performance and adaptive computing and AI. Recently, she stated, “AMD is at our best when we are taking bold, calculated risks and aggressively pursuing the leading-edge technologies that change the world.” Dr. Su has increased revenue from $25.8 billion up 370% since she became CEO in 2014. 

She was TIME’s 2024 CEO of the Year and recognized as one of Barron’s World’s Best CEOs, along with many other accolades. Thus, proving her time as CEO of AMD has been successful and continues to see growth and major moves for the company.

Women who make it to positions of power have been known to act as role models. They are the female representation for top leadership positions. They make sure it is known that they are in that leadership position as a female, despite obstacles and barriers. These women leaders share their knowledge and provide advice through memoirs, quotes, and keynote speeches. This gives other women who are climbing the corporate ladder an opportunity to learn from their mistakes and achievements. There are women in leadership working hard to close the inequality gaps and move into positions of leadership. There is so much to be learned and so much motivation to absorb,. This is just the tip of the iceberg.