Disclaimer: I love men. I value men in the workplace. I also love women. I know when men and women work alongside each other, great results happen. Yet, I can’t help but read the tea leaves and realize there’s a war being waged against women and it’s not subtle.
Look at what’s happened just recently:
- Senior women admirals and generals gutted from the Pentagon
- Female cabinet leaders shown the door
- Women-only retreats targeted for elimination
If you’re paying attention, the message towards women feels unmistakable: step back, step down, and stop trying to pretend that you’re different.
My response? Women: we ARE different. And that difference makes a difference in business performance. Let’s not try and be the same. Let’s showcase our value in ways only we can.
I’ve spent my career in male-dominated spaces – the Marine Corps, energy boardrooms, tech leadership teams. It’s not a rare day when I’m the only woman in the room. I know what it costs to earn your seat at the table. I’ve worked the long hours, made the sacrifices, missed the family moments, without regret, because I believed the work mattered. I still do.
Women are different. Our perspectives, our experiences, our leadership styles are unique. I thought we’d already settled that debate. The evidence is overwhelming: diverse teams make better decisions, ask better questions, and build more resilient organizations. This isn’t ideology. This is performance data.
Which is exactly why the current climate demands a specific response from women: rise.
Not in anger. Not in reaction.
Rise in ambition, strategy, and relentless forward movement. The most powerful thing any woman can do right now is pursue the highest level of influence available to her. Because when women hold power, things change and the numbers prove it.
According to Catalyst research, companies with more women in senior leadership/board roles consistently outperform their peers. This isn’t charity. This is competitive advantage.
But one woman at the top isn’t enough. We need critical mass – women showing up where it counts:
- In C-suites, setting strategy and direction
- On boards, holding organizations accountable
- In budget meetings, controlling resources
- In succession conversations, shaping who leads next
One voice gets dismissed. A chorus cannot be ignored.
And we need men in this fight, too.
Gentlemen: this moment is calling on you as well. Don’t wait for a corporate initiative, a mandated program, or permission from above. Look around you right now and act:
- Identify the talented women in your orbit and sponsor them — not just mentor them
- Put their names in rooms they haven’t entered yet
- Advocate for their stretch assignments, promotions, and seats at the table
- Be the ally who acts today, without being asked
So here’s my challenge to everyone: stop waiting to be invited. Eye the bigger roles, the stretch assignments, the seats at tables where real decisions get made. Not just to advance your career, but to advance something larger.
Business has the power to shape culture in ways politics often cannot. When companies model what inclusion looks like at the highest levels, they set a standard that transcends any single administration’s agenda.
The greatest act of resistance? Build something undeniable. Lead at the highest level. Bring others with you.
That’s how everyone wins.
