While progress has been made supporting women into leadership roles, the top table of most businesses are still dominated by men. New Street Consulting Group expert Lubna Haq explains how women are still having to contend with long-outdated perceptions in the board room.
In the UK, where diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have become central to corporate and political discourse, we must rethink what leadership really looks like. For centuries, leadership has been painted with a thick, masculine brush. Assertiveness, decisiveness, resilience, these have been championed as the traits of a great leader. Meanwhile, empathy, collaboration, and emotional intelligence were cast aside as ‘soft skills.’ But here’s the truth, backed by research: the strongest leaders, the most effective ones, blend all these qualities.
Women, and particularly women of colour, are still battling outdated perceptions that question their authority and effectiveness. Isn’t it time we broke those stereotypes?
In the business world, UK-based research from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) found that companies with more women in senior positions outperform those with predominantly male leadership teams. So, if we’re looking for stronger, more profitable, more successful businesses, why are we still not seeing greater gender equity in the boardroom?
Breaking the stereotype of the “strong male leader” doesn’t mean diminishing men either, it means broadening our understanding of strength. True leadership isn’t about who can shout the loudest. It’s about who can inspire, unify, and drive change. And women, are doing just that across the business world.
Systemic change
Individual brilliance can only take us so far, structural change is the real key to unlocking equality in leadership.
Companies must do more than pay lip service to diversity. That means dismantling biases in hiring, promotions, and workplace culture. It means creating leadership development programmes that support women and underrepresented groups. It means mentorship, sponsorship, and calling out inequality when we see it.
And men, yes, men, they have a role to play here too. Being an ally doesn’t mean stepping aside; it means stepping up. It means challenging outdated mindsets, advocating for fair hiring practices, and recognising that inclusion is not a threat, it’s an advantage.
The future of leadership is not about choosing between strength and empathy, authority and inclusivity, it’s about recognising that the best leaders embody all these traits, regardless of gender or race.
Leadership is not about fitting into an old mould, it’s about evolving with the times. So, let’s stop debating whether women can lead. They already are. The real question is, are we ready to make it commonplace?