Why Women's Networks May Lack Professional Influence

WSJ article on difference between perceptions of highly networked women vs men - not surprising but continues to put women leaders in a catch 22. “We expected that having high-status contacts would lead to higher status ratings. However, when women built networks rich with high-status contacts, instead of receiving a status boost, their status gradually declined over time. Such a costly effect didn’t occur in men. Why? People typically don’t like dominant and ambitious female leaders, research shows. Such a pattern is even manifested on X (formerly Twitter)—as men showed more dominance, they became more influential, but women became less influential when they did the same… When women are perceived as assertive and forceful, they are seen as unlikable and lower-status, research has shown. Feminine stereotypes say that women—more so than men—need to put the needs of the group and others ahead of their own self-interest. So, we infer that people presume a woman whose network is centering on high-status individuals is gathering resources for herself at the expense of others in the group.”

Women are not the only ones who scapegoat. But in many workplaces, the way women do it is harder to see and even harder to name. Female relational aggression is an under-recognised force driving women out of workplaces and keeping them out of leadership. It hides behind the language of care, values, and belonging. It looks like mentorship, inclusion, and team culture until it becomes exclusion, silence, and quiet reputation damage. You expected competition from men, not cruelty from women. You thought the women’s network was a place for mentorship, not surveillance. But somewhere along the way, belonging started to feel like walking a tightrope. You watched how quickly support could turn into scrutiny. How easily warmth could harden into exclusion. How someone who once championed you began to whisper doubts about you. This is how female aggression hides in plain sight. It does not shout. It smiles, includes, praises, and then withdraws. It protects its image while eroding yours. And when the damage is done, it calls the fallout “miscommunication” or “a mismatch of values.” This pattern doesn’t just harm individuals. It keeps competent women from advancing. It rewards manipulation. It fills leadership pipelines with women who can perform empathy but not practise integrity. We keep saying women are kept out of leadership by men. But many are kept out by women who learned to turn belonging into social control. Until we face that, we will keep losing the women who could have changed the culture. 📫 I help professionals outsmart toxic systems, emotionally unhook from the cycle, and design their next moves strategically so they stay ahead of the game instead of being played. If this is your experience of women, reach out. 🔗 We don’t talk about woman-on-woman aggression because it disrupts the story that women are always safer with women. This denial is how the pattern survives: https://lnkd.in/gTS33hu2

Your Women's Inclusion Programs are failing. The harsh reality ⤵️ Every time someone mentions to me about their Women's Inclusions Program, I cringe a little bit. Why? I find 99.9% of them fail: ➡️ They are all women. Obvious I know. But we need to educate the decision makers. (These are not only Women 🙄) ➡️ They are an Echo chamber. Where Women, agree with Women. Where nothing ground-breaking is on the agenda. ➡️ They are a coffee morning. Nice to chat, over a beverage or a sandwich. Yet, nothing actually changes, no actions are taken. ➡️ They don't actually support Women. They are run by Women. For no additional salary. Speakers and educators are often asked to do it for free. ➡️ They don't make an Impact. They are a tick box exercise. Something for the annual report. No policies changes are actually made to support Women's careers. PLEASE, tell me I'm wrong... PLEASE, tell me yours is different... What can be done instead? - Invite the right decision makers (Men AND Women) - Decide on an agenda that will actually create IMPACT - Pay women accordingly to support, educate and speak at events - Listen to the challenges women face and create improved policies - Invest in Women to enhance their career's and support their progression 💭 Thinking of setting up a Women's Inclusion Network? 🙏 PLEASE make sure it's done well, or simply don't bother. ❌ A poor attempt can be more damaging than not having one at all.

Why don’t more women reach the boardroom? - I've just read the Warwick Business School article on this topic. (Link below) - It’s been nearly half a century since sociologist Rosabeth Moss Kanter observed: "Women populate organisations, but they hardly ever run them—especially large businesses." - Fast forward to today, & progress remains painfully slow. ➡️ The latest UK FTSE Women Leaders Review found that only 19 firms in the FTSE 350 have a female CEO. ➡️ Research from Warwick Business School shows that companies with more women on their boards are better at driving innovation. "𝐈𝐟 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬, 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐃𝐏 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐲 $28 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔.𝐒. 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚" McKInsey - So why is it still so hard for women to reach the top? ➡️ Lack of qualifications & experience? No! More women than men complete postgraduate courses, and by the time they reach senior roles, they are highly qualified. Yet, traditional leadership traits are often still valued over modern, diverse skills. ➡️ Women lack ambition? No! This assumption has been widely challenged by academics. Women aspire to leadership just as much as men. If they aren’t progressing, it’s often due to workplace cultures that don’t support or recognize them. ➡️ Women can interpret success differently? Yes! Research shows that women are more likely to credit their team rather than themselves and take personal responsibility for failures—shaping how others perceive their abilities. ➡️ Women can display a desire to progress in different ways to men? Yes! Studies show women are less likely to adopt a ‘dominant’ leadership style & take credit for success. Women who defy this gender norm appear to benefit from doing so—raising questions about implicit bias in leadership selection. ➡️ Networks matter—A LOT Dr. Dean's research finds men network strategically for boardroom roles, while women often see it as a distraction, relying on meritocracy—limiting key connections. How Do We Fix This? 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐬  – What got us here won’t get us there 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 – Don't confuse confidence with competence. 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫, 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫 – Actively champion those who won't self-promote. 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬  – Open doors for others. 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 – Recognize diverse leadership styles. - Human Centric Leadership is our future and there are many women (and men) who are overlooked for leadership positions because they don't match traditional, outdated views of leadership. It is time to change. #CEO #CHRO #IWD2025

After founding and scaling a women's organization to 15,000+ members, I know one truth: 89% of women's networks fail to deliver real value. This one won't. As the founder and former CEO of the National Association of Women Sales Professionals (NAWSP), I built a community that transformed careers, not just conversations. Three critical elements I learned about building powerful women's networks: • Success depends on curation, not collection. The right 20 connections outperform 2,000 random ones every time. • Women leaders need spaces designed for their actual lives, not idealized versions. Your calendar is already full. • Networks that drive results focus on action and visibility, not just talk and theory. This is why I immediately recognized the power of the Wednesday Women Membership that just launched today. It's not another crowded Slack group with performative networking. It's built for exec-level women who lead with conviction, value authentic connection, and want every woman to rise. No Instagram-perfect corporate masks. No status symbol price tags. No time-wasting activities. Instead: ✅ Hand-curated and AI-powered network connections that actually matter ✅ Value that fits into your actual life ✅ A community rooted in action, generosity, authenticity, and visibility I've built and led organizations that changed the trajectory of women's careers for over a decade. The Wednesday Women approach aligns with everything I know works. Power doesn't come from larger networks. It comes from strategic ones. What would change if you stopped collecting connections and started cultivating the right ones? P.S. For women executives tired of networks that take more than they give: This is your community. https://lnkd.in/epHyq42c #WednesdayWomen #ExecutiveWomen