This year’s theme of International Womens’ Day is #AccelerateAction.  It’s a call to move beyond recognition and into action to break down the barriers that exist so that women and girls everywhere can advance in their career with equity.

It is reported that, at the current rate of progress, it will take until 2158 to reach full gender parity.  Action starts with us, so I wanted to share some insights on the actions women can take for themselves to help break down the barriers that can slow their own advancement.

When I think of the women I work with, there are some common questions that come up:

They want to address these challenges in a way that is authentic for them, so they can influence effectively and succeed.

Here I look at eight actions that can increase your influence so you can advance and become the role models that are so needed:

 

1. Form your own informal advisory board

It can be hard to be objective when you have an emotional response to a situation when you feel you are being held back.

Reactive responses can sometimes impact your profile and limit your influence, so it is helpful to have people that you trust to turn to as a sounding board.  An objective view can sometimes provide a different perspective which you had not considered and expand the options open to you.

This small board can be siblings, former bosses, close friends and colleagues who bring a variety of experience, skills and styles.  If you are an expressive character endeavouring to influence a rational person who has a different view, it is helpful to speak with someone who is equally rational so you can hear first-hand how they would prefer to be communicated.   This can assist you getting your message across in a way that has the desired impact you want and gain a deeper understanding of their core motives.

 

2. Cultivate sponsors to increase your profile

Self-promotion can sometimes feel uncomfortable, particularly for those who are humble and assume that doing a good job is enough.

It is important for your achievements to be known to a wider network, so make sure you have sponsors who advocate on your behalf, promote your successes and assist in building your profile and reputation.

This does not happen naturally.  You need to make it an active intention, so ask people who you know trust and respect you to speak about you in their circles, so people get to hear your name in rooms you are not in.

I recall a talented executive who had ambitions to be on the Executive Board, but had limited exposure to several board members.   She had a number of senior executives that respected her ability to get things done and negotiate some tricky negotiations, but not enough people knew about them.

When she asked them if they would sponsor her and share some of the good work she had done, they were delighted to – she just had to ask.  As a result, she was asked to present to the Board on several initiatives.  They could clearly see her talent and she is now sitting on the Exec Team making a difference.

 

3. Protect your boundaries

A client reported that when she joined a company in a newly formed role, she discovered that her boss had changed the reporting structure so that several of her new team would report to him instead of her. In maintaining control over the team, he was compromising and undermining her authority, which created conflict and confusion from the outset.

It is important to protect your boundaries and know what you will and won’t tolerate. If you tolerate something that you are uncomfortable with, it will persist, so set up the parameters of how you want to work early.  In her case she sought the counsel of other senior colleagues who understood her concern so she felt supported when she made recommendations for a team structure that was clear and gave her accountability and control for the results she knew she could deliver.

Boundaries are there to allow you to thrive, not to be restrictive. Not having them can become barriers to your success.

 

4. Identify gaps in your skills that will enhance your career progress

Several women executives I have worked with have acknowledged that they can hold their own on most subjects but an area where they feel less confident is finance.  This made them hesitant when attending Board meetings and they realised their influence was being limited because of this.

A typical path to Board level positions is having the experience of running a P&L, so it is important to build this knowledge. For some this meant taking control and requesting specific training that would support their ambitions and benefit the business. Others approached colleagues within their Finance Dept and requested mentoring to increase their skill.

It was great to hear one executive speak about her increased confidence when addressing financial matters and the added gravitas it gave her when speaking.

 

5. Say yes to opportunities, even if you are unsure

 There are key moments that can define your career.  An executive who had a boss who always wanted to speak at the major conferences was away when an opportunity came to speak to a global audience. This was her moment to show people what she was capable of and she put herself forward to speak even though she was incredibly nervous.

She knew she had to smash this, and she worked for weeks to put together a presentation that wowed them.  She got a great reaction, and it positioned her beautifully with senior stakeholders that did not know her and were now aware of her talents.

I know from my own experience in my early career when a bank became a large investor in the property business I worked for, and the management team were asked to present to them.  I worked hard on that presentation, tested it with several different people and revised it so I could speak with authority when my turn came.  It paid off, and my career advancement a year later to run the Asia Region was a direct result of that.

Don’t miss out because you are unsure – once you have stretched yourself – you will never go back

 

6. Seek observations about your current impact

This is where the value of a coach or mentor comes into play.  If you don’t have one, ask some trusted colleagues to actively give you feedback – with no holding back.

When I meet people, I can see how confident they are by the way they walk into a room, the language they use, the tone of their voice and their ability to be calm when challenged.  Just looking at how quickly they are breathing will influence the pitch of their voice and the speed in which they speak which dilutes your gravitas.

My clients appreciate the observations I make about their communication and body language – who else is going to give you this?  Find someone who sees you in action and enroll their support in your growth.

 

7. Find success your way

I enjoyed listening to Ruth Handcock, CEO of Octopus Money, talk about her journey to CEO on a recent panel event.

It started when she was at university when she wondered why more men were getting first degrees.  She discovered that women were diligent and wrote down everything they learnt.  Men would write an argument vs reiterate their learning.  So, she did that… and a got a first.  It was about ‘understanding the game’. She carried this through in her career and understood the game and played it in a way that was authentic for her.

She recognised she needed to be bold, so she had to increase her appetite for risk and get more comfortable with taking risks. She needed to get better at selling; and made sure to add real value vs getting things done.  This increased her commercial acumen, but she wanted to work in her way – she worked closely with her management team – particularly the junior team.  People would want to work with her “I didn’t change who I was; I got clear on where I needed to improve and did it my way”

 

8. Push accelerated actions in your business

60% of wealth in the UK is in the hands of women, so in sectors such as finance, we need talent to come to the market to fulfil those needs.

Middle level leadership is the gap we need to fill as there is a significant exit of women between 30 – 45 leaving companies.  As Vivienne Artz, CEO of FTSE Women Leaders Review reports, it is not because they are not ambitious.  She cited research that women with children were more ambitious than men and the reasons they gave for leaving were lack of pay increases and lack of management opportunities, whilst men left to go to the next role or promotions

The 2025 FTSE Women Leaders Review highlighted 43% of FTSE 350 board positions are filled by women, this drops to only 31% for the 50 largest private companies. This could be because public companies have been under more public pressure to implement policies that set clear targets for achieving parity.

There is a danger that initiatives such as gender balance scorecards, diversity targets and transparent pay gap reporting become a tick box exercise, without addressing the culture shifts that are required to make real change.

At a recent IWD event a man stood up and said how enlightened he had been due to attending other similar sessions and how it had changed his perspective.

Listening is the first step to changing perspective and changing a culture. How we articulate what inclusion is is important, so it benefits both men and women.

While there are many UK companies that have spearheaded great initiatives, what small action could you take to bring change to your organisation?

 

Accelerating your own action first

As we celebrate International Women’s Day 2025, let us recognise that it is through putting in place strategies to accelerate action for yourself that you will encourage others to also take the action needed to positively impact women’s advancement and move towards a natural equality.

 

If you are an executive wanting to accelerate your impact and influence, please contact Oona at team@potentialplus-int.com.

 

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