Female Leadership and Inner Knowing

A highly qualified woman sat across from me yesterday.   Her resume showed 15 years of C-suite experience. Multiple awards. Industry recognition.   Yet she spoke about her success like it was pure luck.   SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT of female executives experience this same phenomenon.   I see it daily through my work with thousands of women leaders. They achieve remarkable success but internally believe they fooled everyone.   Some call it imposter syndrome. I call it a STRUCTURAL PROBLEM.   Let me explain...   When less than 5% of major companies have gender-balanced leadership, women question whether they belong.   My first board appointment taught me this hard truth.   I walked into that boardroom convinced I would say something ridiculous. Everyone seemed so confident.   But confidence plays tricks on us.   Perfect knowledge never exists. Leadership requires:   • Recognising what you know • Admitting what you miss • Finding the right answers • Moving forward anyway   Three strategies that transformed my journey:   1. Build your evidence file Document every win, every positive feedback, every successful project. Review it before big meetings. Your brain lies. Evidence speaks truth.   2. Find your circle Connect with other women leaders who understand your experience. The moment you share your doubts, someone else will say "me too."   3. Practice strategic vulnerability Acknowledging areas for growth enhances credibility. Power exists in saying "I'll find out" instead of pretending omniscience.   REALITY CHECK: This impacts business results.   Qualified women: - Decline opportunities - Downplay achievements - Hesitate to negotiate - Withdraw from consideration   Organisations lose valuable talent and perspective.   The solution requires both individual action and systemic change.   We need visible pathways to leadership for women. We need to challenge biased feedback. We need women in leadership positions in meaningful numbers.   Leadership demands courage, not perfect confidence.   The world needs leaders who push past doubt - not because they never experience it, but because they refuse to let it win. https://lnkd.in/gY9G-ibh

I almost cried in public, and it was more than alright. When you hold leadership positions, do you show vulnerability? (the common response today is "yes, it makes you relatable.") Now for a woman that's a double-edged response: It often feels like you don't have room for error or vulnerability, and can get judged as weak.  Add that to being in a male dominated industry like tech. 20 yrs ago, I thought one had to play the corporate game like a man (whatever that means then). May be hard to visualize now but: • Was called a "machine" and "not human" because I drove relentlessly, like I had no feelings or sleep. • Was stoic, couldn't smile (still have an RBF but I try now), was the one you go for "dependability". • Had zero ounce of play, some were worried for my kids because "Andrea is so serious". • Was losing steam rapidly each year, because it's very hard to pretend to be someone who are you are not. • Don't allow one bit of vulnerability to leak through. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝘁. Today: • I feel my emotions deeply and process them. I even coach others to do so. • I've teared up or cried a few times in public.  No biggie. • I remain passionate and allow that to unleash in times when I want to channel the energy to work on something. • I don't pretend to have it all together. And actively find pockets of time to rest, relax and yes, play. • I remain grounded, but learn not to take myself so seriously. • Not embarrassed when working my energy & schedule around my period and its symptoms. I think the world is still trying to understand what female leadership looks like - and that is not a female version of a male leader. What I look to do instead is understand what female leadership feels like and how she expresses herself.  What is your own version? If it helps, here's a peek to what it can entail when you shift your energy to what is aligned to being you: • A new burst of energy • Learn to nurture and take care of your own internal creative • New possibilities and visions • Release "should" goals (or just goals in general) • A preference for deepening and loving your treasured relationships • Grow teams based on utilising their individual potential and strengths (when you see your team for who they truly are, watch them blossom) • You pave the way for others and/or your children • You kick ass • Learn to do nothing and be still to trust your intuition • Shift the energies of teams or spaces that you have been given the opportunity to do so.    Is there anything else you would add? ------- 👋 𝘐 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯.  𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯-𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯.  𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦> Andrea T. #undilutedbyAT #thoughtleadership #femaleleadership  

💎 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗻𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲’𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀. Recently I had a Leadership RISE session with a senior director. What she thought would be a conversation about her current challenges became something much deeper. “𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯,” she said. “𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺? 𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦.” Then she said: “𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐’𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴.” So I told her: You’re not. Here’s what we need to talk about: 👉 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗻𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗪𝗢 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲: 1. Leading organisational change - strategy, delivery, influence, culture. 2. A deeper recalibration - questioning old success models, rejecting systems that diminish you, and redefining what authentic leadership really looks like. Most leadership development programs treat these as separate journeys. But the women I see leading with real impact? They know the truth: ✨ 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 - 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞. That self-questioning you’re experiencing? It’s not a weakness. It’s your edge. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 👇 You’ve likely seen this in the women you lead with, partner with or support. Maybe you’re feeling it in your own leadership evolution. When technical expertise stops being enough. When you start questioning systems you once accepted. When you realise change requires a different kind of courage. ***** If this resonates, let’s talk. ✅ I work with senior leaders navigating this dual shift through private coaching and high-impact group sessions. ✅ I also partner with organisations to spark these deeper conversations inside their leadership teams. 📩 Message me to explore coaching for yourself or to bring this conversation into your senior leadership group. #WomenInLeadership #ExecutiveCoaching #AuthenticLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #ConsciousLeadership

“I don’t feel like I’m enough.” It’s a sentence I’ve heard far too often in my conversations with women—whether in 1:1s or powerful events filled with successful leaders. And if I’m honest, I’ve heard it in my own head too. Not enough as a mother. Not enough as a partner. Not enough as a leader. The list goes on. There’s this silent, sometimes crippling, pressure to be everything to everyone. But with only 24 hours in a day, how do we pour into everyone else’s buckets and still fill our own? 🤯 My personal lessons: 🧘🏽♀️Flow into your day, don’t just power through it. Start with you—meditate, journal, check in with your thoughts. Then get the kids ready and dive into work. 💓Check in with where you stand between inner power and perfectionism. Perfection is a moving target, but inner power? That’s a steady anchor. What small moves can you make today to shift closer to that inner strength? 🎯Focus on 3-5 key areas that you feel are gaps personally and professionally. This is always tough for me because I operate on conquer the world mentality which doesn’t work. Create micro-learning moments and carve time to be intentional. A wise leader once told me: “We don’t feel like we’re enough because society has trained us to believe that.” We’ve been conditioned to constantly prove ourselves—and it’s exhausting. But here’s the thing: Choose to take control of your own narrative. Whatever your reason, know you’re not alone. If it’s being enough for the next role, know there’s a leader out there who will create an environment for you to thrive and see your full potential. Until then, be that leader for yourself. You always have choices. If you need support, there are incredible coaches who can guide you on this journey (I’m happy to recommend a few!). I’d love to hear from you—how are you stepping into your inner strength? 📣 Bina Jhaveri — I’m endlessly grateful for your wisdom, coaching, and grace. #Leadership #InnerStrength #WomenInLeadership #GrowthMindset #Empowerment

I caught my reflection in the window during dinner with my daughter – physically present but mentally miles away. She was sharing details about her day, but my thoughts were tangled in tomorrow's to-do list. My gut was screaming "be here now," but I kept scrolling through mental to-do lists – because that's what dedicated leaders do, right? As high-achieving women, we pride ourselves on data-driven decisions at work. Yet when our inner wisdom whispers "slow down," "be present," or "this isn't working," we often push those insights aside. Why is it easier to trust our judgment about a million-dollar business decision than about our own wellbeing? In my latest article, I share: • 4 practical steps to reclaim your inner knowing • A simple challenge to start today 🌟 This week's BRAVE Challenge might just change how you make decisions. Read the full article below and join the conversation: What decision will you make this week based solely on your inner wisdom? #WomenInLeadership #PersonalGrowth #BRAVEleadership #WorkLifeHarmony #SelfTrust #LiveBRAVE

Day 10 Tip of #WomensHistoryMonth: Trust Your Instincts. While I’m not a fan of mistakes, I do give myself grace and space to learn from them. What I absolutely regret is ignoring my instincts. Every time. And I’ve heard that sentiment from so many others. You know that deep feeling in your gut when something just doesn’t sit right? Or the rush when an opportunity comes along, and you just know it’s for you? That’s your instincts kicking in. They’re shaped by your experiences, your expertise, and your ability to read situations in ways you may not even realize. Research backs this up: A 2023 healthcare survey conducted by Talker Research for MD Live found that 77% of women report trusting their ‘sixth sense’ in decision-making, and they’re correct roughly 7 out of 10 times. And it’s a good thing. So, how do we get better at listening to our instincts? • Pay Attention to Patterns – Think about when your instinct was spot-on. What were the signals? Recognizing those patterns builds confidence and self-efficacy. • Reflect on What’s Bothering You – When you’re facing a decision, pause. Ask yourself, “What’s this hesitation telling me?” It might be fear, or it might be your instinct. • Talk About It with Someone You Trust – Sometimes, simply saying what you’re thinking out loud to someone can help you process your thoughts or gain a perspective you hadn’t considered. Your instincts matter—they’re experience, knowledge, and observation working in real-time. If your “Spidey” senses are tingling, pay close attention. #Leadership #CareerGrowth #CareerAdvice #WomeninLeadership