Confidence, not KPIs: the missing piece in female leadership progress
Recent findings from a government-backed FTSE Women Leaders Review
Recent findings from a government-backed FTSE Women Leaders Review show that women now hold 43% of FTSE 350 board positions – a significant achievement after years of focused effort. But fewer than one in ten chief executive roles are held by women. Despite visible progress, real decision-making power remains disproportionately male.
Representation alone doesn’t create leaders
Targets have played an essential role in accelerating change. They created urgency and accountability, forcing organisations to rethink recruitment pipelines and succession planning.
But targets alone do not prepare leaders for the realities of senior executive roles. Nor do they address the less visible barriers that influence whether individuals, particularly women, feel ready to step forward.
After more than two decades working with CEOs and senior executives – and now supporting leadership peer groups through Vistage – I increasingly see organisations reaching a plateau. Women are entering leadership pipelines in strong numbers, yet progression slows at the final step toward chief executive and other executive decision-making roles.
Capability is rarely the issue. Confidence, access to support and exposure to peer experience often are.
The confidence gap at the top
Many highly capable women reach senior management positions but hesitate before pursuing the most senior roles. Leadership at that level brings visibility, risk and scrutiny, and too often women feel they must be completely prepared before stepping forward.
By contrast, research consistently shows men are more likely to apply for roles even when they meet only part of the criteria.
Confidence in leadership is not something leaders simply possess – it develops through challenge, experience and trusted feedback. Yet senior leadership can be unexpectedly isolating. Executives are expected to project certainty, even while navigating unfamiliar or high-stakes decisions.
Without spaces to test thinking openly, hesitation can replace ambition.
Why peer networks matter more than ever
One of the strongest predictors of leadership progression is access to honest peer support. Within peer advisory environments, leaders step outside company hierarchies to share challenges candidly with others facing similar pressures. These environments combine encouragement with constructive challenge – helping leaders interrogate assumptions, strengthen decision-making and build resilience.
Crucially, mentorship is not about reassurance alone. The most valuable conversations are often the uncomfortable ones: questioning limiting beliefs, encouraging risk-taking and reframing failure as part of leadership growth.
When leaders realize that uncertainty and self-doubt are universal experiences rather than personal shortcomings, confidence grows alongside capability.
Supporting leaders once they reach the room
Much of the inclusivity conversation has focused on getting women into leadership positions. Far less attention has been paid to what happens once we arrive.
Appointment without support risks creating visibility without sustainability. Leaders who lack trusted networks or opportunities for reflection are more likely to experience burnout, overly cautious decision-making or stalled progression.
Effective organizations recognize that leadership development does not end with promotion. Continuous peer learning, mentorship and personal development are essential infrastructure.
The familiar advice to “put on your own oxygen mask first” applies strongly here. Leaders who invest in their own development are ultimately better equipped to support teams and organizations through uncertainty.
Moving beyond targets
International Women’s Day offers an opportunity not only to recognize progress, but to reconsider how progress happens in the first place. This year’s theme, “Give to Gain”, reflects a growing recognition that development is both collective and individual.
The past decade has focused on opening doors – setting targets, improving visibility and widening access to senior roles. The next phase depends on what happens after those doors open.
Progress accelerates when leadership knowledge, experience and opportunity are actively shared. Senior leaders who invest time in mentoring, peer learning and sponsorship help create the confidence and readiness that targets alone cannot deliver.
Organizations gain stronger leadership not simply by appointing more diverse candidates, but by building cultures where experience is exchanged openly and future leaders are supported before, and after, they step into senior roles.
Representation has created momentum. Sustained change will come when giving support, insight and opportunity becomes part of how leadership operates day to day – not as an initiative, but an expectation.
