Women in leadership have always faced a higher bar. Yet amid the pushback on DEI, pressuring women to validate their worth – again – they need to boldly own it, not prove it.
“I feel like I have to prove myself all over again.”
That’s what a senior female executive confided in me recently. After decades of delivering results, mentoring others, and earning her seat at the table, she now feels renewed pressure to validate her worth. With growing pushback against DEI initiatives, she’s not alone.
Across industries, accomplished women are facing intensified scrutiny—not because their contributions have changed, but because the narrative around who deserves a seat at the table is shifting. The merit of women and other historically underrepresented groups in leadership is being questioned in ways it hasn’t been in years. And that questioning can feel personal, frustrating, even exhausting.
But here’s the truth: we don’t need to prove our worth—we need to own it.
And the data is on our side. A 2023 McKinsey & Company study found that companies with diverse leadership teams are 39% more likely to outperform competitors—a statistic that remains consistent across industries. Similarly, Harvard Business Review research shows that women consistently score higher than men in 17 of 19 key leadership capabilities, including emotional intelligence, resilience, and collaboration—qualities that drive long-term success.
Yet despite this overwhelming evidence, women still face an uphill battle. The “broken rung” in leadership pipelines remains a persistent barrier, with only 87 women promoted to management for every 100 men, according to McKinsey’s 2024 Women in the Workplace report. And now, with increasing skepticism toward DEI, the pressure to “re-prove” ourselves has ratcheted up again.
But here’s the thing: this is not the moment to shrink, retreat, or waste energy justifying why we belong at the table. Instead, it’s the time to push forward more boldly, more visibly, and with even greater conviction in the value we bring. The fate of DEI programs does not define our worth—we do.
History shows that progress is never linear. Periods of pushback have always followed periods of progress. The women who broke barriers before us—from Fortune 500 CEOs to Supreme Court Justices—didn’t wait for validation. They stepped up, spoke up, and owned their worth, even when others questioned it.
So, rather than letting this moment pull us down, we must use it to push forward. We have earned our place—not because of any initiative, but because we are damn good at what we do.
While structural changes are critical, women can also be their own catalyst for change. Here are three ways to accelerate action – the theme for this years International Women’s Day- and get started.
1. Own Your Difference—It’s Your Strength
Women often second-guess themselves, downplaying their unique strengths while overvaluing the qualities they think they “should” have. They over-credit their teams, under-credit themselves, and underestimate their competence—even when their performance is equal to or better than their male peers.
Yet, the most effective leaders leverage their differences, not suppress them. As Jane Fraser, CEO of Citigroup and the first woman to lead a major Wall Street bank, put it:
“I lead with humility and humanity. That’s how I build trust. That’s how I get results.”
Your difference is your greatest asset—not something to downplay. When you own your value, you magnify it.
2. Jump In—Don’t Wait To Feel 100% Ready
A common obstacle I see among female leaders across all sectors? Self-doubt. Even the most accomplished women battle it. Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo, admitted that after decades of experience, she still encountered moments of uncertainty. But she also shared this hard-won wisdom:
“If you sit around waiting for the perfect moment, you’ll never do anything. Jump in. Figure it out.”
Yet many women hesitate, waiting until they feel 100% ready before going after new opportunities. A Hewlett-Packard study found that men apply for jobs when they meet 60% of the qualifications, while women wait until they meet 100%. Women are also more likely to attribute success to luck or external factors, whereas men credit their own abilities.
I’ve seen this pattern play out countless times. I’ve rarely met a woman whose confidence was writing checks her competence couldn’t deliver on. I cannot say the same of men. Women hesitate—not because they lack capability, but because they feel like they have to be 150% competence before they even apply. Yet if you knew exactly how to do a job on day one, it wouldn’t be worth taking. As I wrote in The Courage Gap, any goal that isn’t stretching you beyond what you can already comfortably do, isn’t worthy of you!
Confidence isn’t something you wait to feel, which risks you spending your entire life in a waiting room. Rather it’s something you build by taking action despite fear. Often the best opportunities come when we decide to take the leap before we feel fully ready, behaving our way into believing.
3. Bet on Yourself—Every Day
The space between what you’re capable of and what you actually do? That’s your courage gap. The only way to close it is to step forward even as your fear urges you to pull back, play it safe, and stay right where you are.
Courage precedes confidence.
Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, transformed the company and redefined leadership in a male-dominated industry. Her advice?
“Do every job like you’re going to do it for the rest of your life and demonstrate that ownership mentality.”
A core theme in Korn Ferry’s Women’s CEOs Speak study was the importance of taking on stretch roles—even when they feel intimidating. The truth is, women who break barriers don’t wait until they feel fully ready—they give themselves permission to step up and figure it out along the way, just as men have always done. By the way, this is not a criticism of me, it’s a rally cry to women!
Take Michelle McKay, who became CEO of Cushman & Wakefield in an industry long dominated by men, or Mary Barra at GM, or Jane Fraser at Citibank. These women didn’t have all the answers when they stepped into the top job—but they backed themselves to find the best solutions to the challenges their businesses faced as they went along.
Putting our energy into proving our value robs energy from the impact we can make when we own our value.
Women in leadership have never had the luxury of waiting for the playing field to be even or for things to be fair. But we do have the power to decide how we show up, regardless of what’s trending around us.
We can stand tall in our worth, and embrace our unique feminine leadership strengths.
We can defy the doubts the doubts that would otherwise leave us a victim of imposter syndrome (which I’ve written about before).
We can make a the most important bet we ever need to make – on ourselves – even as our fear is urging us not to.
After all, courage isn’t about being fearless. It’s about refusing to let fear dictate the future.
So, whether you’re looking to take the next step in your career or reach the very top, consider this your permission slip to stop proving and start owning. When you trade proving yourself for backing yourself – fully, boldly, unapologetically – you reclaim the power given to the naysayers and start leading with courage the people and world around you truly needs.
That’s the starting point of your greatest impact.
Dr Margie Warrell is a leadership advisor and international speaker who is passionate about advancing women to decision making tables. Her latest book The Courage Gap provides a roadmap to do just that.