The Power of Women Supporting Women in Leadership
In honor of International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is a time to celebrate the accomplishments of women everywhere, but it’s also an opportunity to reflect on the space we create for the women around us, especially in the workplace.
Leadership matters. And for many women early in their careers, having a strong, supportive female leader can be totally transformative. Of course, representation alone is powerful. Seeing a woman leading a team, making decisions, and being respected in her role sends an important message: there is space for you here, too. It makes leadership feel attainable.
But beyond representation, the impact of a positive female leader goes deeper.
Great female leaders often understand the challenges that women face in professional spaces, whether it’s finding the confidence to speak up in meetings, navigating work-life balance, or overcoming the pressure to constantly prove yourself. When those leaders choose to mentor, advocate for, and uplift other women, it creates a ripple effect that strengthens entire ecosystems.
A supportive female leader can help younger women:
Build confidence in their voice and ideas
Take risks and pursue opportunities they might not otherwise consider
Navigate challenges with guidance rather than isolation
See a clear path for growth within their career
And when women are encouraged rather than competed against, the results are powerful. Teams become more collaborative. Workplaces become more inclusive. And more women step into leadership themselves.
I’ve experienced firsthand how dramatically leadership can shape someone’s confidence and growth, on both ends of the spectrum.
In my very first professional role, I worked under a female leader who, for reasons I never fully understood, seemed to have a strong distaste for me despite the work I was producing. At the time, it deeply affected my confidence. I started second-guessing my abilities and questioning whether I truly belonged in the role I had worked so hard to earn. I was desperate for approval and being simultaneously cold shouldered into wondering what more I could do to be acceptable. Is it my age? Is it my demeanor? Is it my appearance? The spiral was real. What a wonderful welcome to the professional world!
Needless to say, I left that role. For that reason alone. I was thriving there otherwise. But that dynamic single handedly pushed me straight out the door.
That experience provided the harsh, but necessary, reality how much influence a leader has over someone’s professional self-belief.
Fast forward to today, I’m fortunate to work with a female leader who has had the exact opposite impact. She champions my work, advocates for my growth, and creates a space where I can openly talk through the challenges and fears that come with being a woman building a career, and even just a woman building a life. It took me months to really open up to her, which we now laugh back on. But honestly, how sad is that? I found that I wasn’t only previously not supported, I was a bit traumatized. On the flip side of working through that, I found that it was never me that was the problem.
That support has made a profound difference in both my career and my life. When someone believes in your potential and encourages you to step into it, it changes the way you see yourself.
And I now sit here and wait my turn to be that woman for another. It’s one of the things I most look forward to in my career.
It’s a profound reminder that leadership isn’t just about directing a team, it’s about shaping the environment people grow within. The most impactful leaders remember what it felt like to be starting out, and they choose to make the path a little easier for the women coming up behind them.
Because when one woman rises and reaches back to support others, it doesn’t just change one career. It strengthens an entire community of future leaders.
This International Women’s Day, we celebrate the women who lead with integrity, mentorship, generosity, and the lasting impact they have on the next generation. May we be them, may we know them, and may we create them.