The words that aren’t said out loud but hang in the air like a silent judgment when I walk in a boardroom: “She’s a woman.”
As if that, in itself, somehow disqualifies us. As if our gender alone makes us less credible. Less capable.
It’s 2025, and somehow we’re still telling ourselves this tired narrative. Women aren’t “born” to lead. We’re better suited to supporting roles, while the big, bold decisions are best left to others (read: men).
But what if the opposite is true?
What if everything we’ve been taught about leadership is outdated?
Let’s Start With the Facts
In a large-scale study by Harvard Business Review, 7,280 leaders were evaluated across 19 leadership capabilities. Women scored higher than men on 17 of them.
Let me say that again: not just equal. Higher.
They outperformed in key areas like:
- Taking initiative
- Resilience
- Practicing self-development
- Driving for results
- Displaying high integrity and honesty
- Inspiring and motivating others
In short: the exact traits that actually move organizations forward. So why is it that when we walk into important meetings or stand on the edge of a leadership role, the first thing they see is “She’s a woman” as if that fact alone should come before our ideas, experience, or capability?
The Leadership Mold is Still Broken
The truth? Most companies still promote based on an old-school vision of leadership. One shaped decades ago by military hierarchies and industrial-age thinking.
You know the type: loud, confident, always “decisive,” never uncertain. That’s the mold.
But here’s what Justin Baldoni says : We’ve created a culture where power means being above others. But real strength is being with others.
In his book “Man Enough”, Baldoni challenges the traditional, performative model of power. He invites men to step away from dominance, control, and ego, and instead embrace vulnerability, empathy, and presence. Qualities long labeled as “soft,” yet proven to be essential for modern leadership.
And here’s the thing: those are the very traits women in leadership tend to bring naturally. Not because we’re trying to be anyone else. But because we’ve always had to hold complexity, listen deeply, and lead from a place of resilience.
We’re not lacking power.
We’re redefining it.
What Women Bring to Leadership
This isn’t about making women act more like “traditional” leaders.
It’s about realizing that traditional leadership is the one that needs evolving.
Here’s what women in leadership are already doing differently—and why it matters:
Women lead with emotional intelligence
They’re often more attuned to emotional dynamics. That means healthier teams, lower turnover, and better collaboration. (Shoutout to Daniel Goleman’s work on EQ, turns out empathy drives profit.)
They’re masters of systems thinking
Instead of fixating on quick wins, women leaders are more likely to take a long view, seeing how different parts of a system interact. That’s gold in complex environments.
They build psychologically safe teams
According to Google’s Project Aristotle, psychological safety is the number one predictor of high-performing teams. Women tend to foster more of it, simply because they don’t lead through fear.
They unlock innovation
A Boston Consulting Group study found that companies with diverse leadership (especially women) saw a 19% boost in innovation revenue. Inclusion isn’t just nice. It makes things work better.
They balance power with presence
When women reclaim their power, they make more aligned decisions, not just more money. It’s not about being in charge, it’s about being in integrity.
A Culture Shift Is (Finally) Happening
Here’s the good news: a growing number of companies are starting to wake up.
Take Buurtzorg, a Dutch healthcare company that ditched hierarchy for self-managed teams, most of which are led by women. Not only did patient satisfaction skyrocket, costs dropped. Employee engagement? Through the roof.
Or Patagonia, where female leaders are behind the brand’s pioneering environmental activism and employee-first policies.
These aren’t “exceptions.” They’re signs of a new kind of leadership, one that’s more relational, more regenerative, and more results-driven because it’s people-driven.
So Where Do We Go From Here?
We stop asking: “Can women lead?”
And we start asking: “What systems are still blocking the leaders we already have?”
We redesign leadership models that celebrate presence, not power plays.
We stop rewarding noise and start recognizing impact.
We create cultures where emotional intelligence is an asset, not a liability.
We quit treating leadership like a performance and start treating it like the human, deeply connected work it really is.
Because when we do? Everyone wins.
