Closing the Visibility Gap

For many years, I believed what so many ambitious women are quietly taught:

🙋‍♀️ Work hard.
🙋‍♀️ Deliver excellence.
🙋‍♀️ Be reliable.
🙋‍♀️ And eventually, someone will notice.

It was how I was brought up in the early 70’s and was what society expected.

In many ways, that belief shaped my success. I built a multi-million-pound businesses through discipline, resilience, and treating people well. I’ve always valued contribution over noise and kindness over ego.

But there came a point in my career when I realised something painful: Excellence doesn’t always speak for itself. Not equally, not for everyone and certainly not always for women. Men are often encouraged to be visible, vocal, and self-assured. Women? We are praised for being dependable, supportive and diligent; the glue that holds everything together quietly.

The result is that many talented women stay overlooked, under-recognised, and under-rewarded; not because of lack of ability, but because they were taught that showing up humbly was the right thing to do.

My wake up moment

When I was in the early stages of growing, what became a $10m operation for an international company. I discovered completely by accident that a male colleague was earning more than me despite leading a smaller team and having less responsibility.

I was shocked and angry - not at him but at our shared boss. I had worked incredibly hard; all kinds of hours and put my heart and soul into the job. That was when I leant that quiet excellence is not rewarded equally. It was time to speak up, to speak out. My upbringing had taught me to wait for recognition; but that isn't humility, it is conditioning. Silence gets us nowhere.

My turning point as a leader came when I summoned up all my courage to ask my boss for a pay rise. He agreed immediately and seemed to view me differently from that point. I was waiting for the recognition that I had already earned. I decided that it was time to put myself forward. Not louder, but more visible without abandoning any of my values.

He agreed to my request for leadership training and the business unit I set up from scratch grew rapidly. At last I had the full recognition for what I had achieved; building a team of 10 and supporting them in their own personal development. There were other brilliant women in leadership roles in the company; yet we were still in a tiny minority.

How women lead and stay authentic

Women who thrive in leadership without compromising who they are tend to do three things:

1️⃣ They see visibility as service. Instead of saying “look at me,” they show what’s possible. They speak to support others, not overshadow them.

2️⃣They lead with collaboration, not competition, creating space for others and succeed collectively.

3️⃣They share the journey not just the success. They don’t perform perfectly and are not afraid to show the struggle and the lessons learned along the way..

Authenticity isn’t a branding strategy; it’s who we are.

Leading with heart, humour and humanity

“Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength.” Sara Blakely

Sara, the self-made founder of Spanx, built a billion-dollar business not by being the loudest in the room, but by being relentlessly herself. She started with £3,500 ($5,000) in savings, selling fax machines door-to-door and hearing “no” more than most of us would tolerate; but she treated every rejection as training, not a stop sign.

Her breakthrough idea came from a simple, lived frustration — uncomfortable, unflattering underwear. She didn’t have industry contacts, technical knowledge, or investors. What she did have was clarity, persistence, and a belief that women deserved better. She persuaded manufacturers one by one, prototyped herself, filed her own patent, and turned department-store changing rooms into sales floors.

Crucially, Sara didn’t abandon her femininity or values to succeed in a male-dominated manufacturing industry. She led with warmth, laughter, vulnerability, and curiosity. Instead of trying to “act like a CEO,” she built a business culture rooted in creativity, generosity, and joyful confidence; gifting every employee £7,500 and a first-class plane ticket when Spanx reached its landmark valuation.

Her story shows that visibility isn’t about ego; it’s about daring to believe your idea, your voice, and your vision deserve space. And it proves that women don’t need to adopt masculine leadership styles to build extraordinary success. They need conviction, resilience, and the courage to be visible as themselves.

Men can also be authentic leaders

There are plenty of men who lead with empathy, humility, emotional intelligence and service; qualities that elevate organisations and people. I’ve worked alongside brilliant male leaders who championed others, listened deeply, and led quietly but powerfully. This isn’t about men versus women; it’s about broadening the definition of what strong leadership looks like.

But the reality remains: because there are still far more men in senior leadership roles, the traditional masculine leadership model i.e. louder, more assertive, more transactional continues to dominate. Not because it’s “better,” but simply because it has been more visible for longer. And not only that there; are many women who behave in a similar way as they see it as the only way to get visibility within a corporate environment.

As more women step into visibility authentically; embracing collaboration, creativity, clarity, and courage; we don’t just change the face of leadership, we make space for gentler power and strength. That benefits everyone - men, women, organisations, and the next generation. True leadership isn’t about gender. It’s about presence, integrity, and courage. But to shift the balance, more women need to be seen and celebrated leading in their own way. This is why it matters.

Leading the way

We need to be brave. When we play small, stay “safe,” or keep ourselves in the background; we don’t just limit our own potential, we limit the impact we can have on our teams, our clients, our industry, and the women coming up behind us. Choosing to grow your business isn’t ego. Scaling isn’t selfish - it’s leadership.

It’s deciding that your vision, your values, and your way of leading deserve to be felt on a bigger stage. It’s building opportunities for others, creating meaningful work, and shaping cultures where people can thrive; not just survive.

Playing small may feel comfortable, but growth is where we create change. Real change. So this is an invitation - not to become louder or harder, but to become more visible, more courageous, and more expansive in your ambition. To build, scale, and lead with clarity and confidence.

Because the world needs more businesses built on vision, integrity, and humanity.

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