The Courage to Lead

When I accepted aninternational assignment to lead a team overseas, my colleagues thought I wastaking an unnecessary risk. I was on a strong trajectory. Why disrupt it?

What they did not see was whatI had observed across my decades of Fortune 500 leadership: the women whoreached senior leadership were not the ones who played it safe. They were theones who made calculated, strategic moves even when the outcome was uncertain.

That international assignmentbecame one of the defining experiences of my career. It expanded my leadershipcapacity in ways no domestic role could have. It taught me that courage isnot the absence of fear, it is the willingness to act despite it.

The Risk Women Are Actually Taking

For women in corporateleadership, courage has never been about recklessness. It has always been aboutmoving forward while navigating expectations that men rarely face.

Women have been conditioned tominimize risk, to wait until fully ready, to prioritize being liked over beingrespected. Courage, then, becomes an act of resistance against thoseexpectations.

Courage looks like saying yesto the promotion before feeling 100% qualified. It looks like negotiatingcompensation without apologizing. It looks like leaving an environment that nolonger aligns with your values even without a perfect backup plan. It lookslike choosing growth over comfort, again and again.

Confidence Is Built Through Action

One of the most damaging mythsin professional development is that confidence is something you either have oryou do not. The truth is different: confidence is built through action, notinherited at birth.

Throughout my corporate career,I watched women wait for confidence to arrive before taking action. Meanwhile,their male counterparts were building confidence by taking action learning,adjusting, and evolving in real time.

Every time you speak up, take aseat at the table, or share your perspective without over-explaining,confidence compounds. Not because everything goes perfectly, but because youprove to yourself that you can handle the outcome either way.

Strategic Risk-Taking for Women Leaders

Risk-taking has traditionallybeen framed as impulsive or aggressive traits women are discouraged fromdisplaying. But the most powerful risks women executives take are deeplyintentional.

Strategic risk is alignedaction: pursuing a leadership role before you meet every listedqualification. Investing in skill development when the payoff is not immediate.Setting boundaries that may disappoint others but protect your capacity tolead. These are not reckless moves they are calculated ones.

Women tend to calculate riskdifferently than men not because we are less bold, but because we often facemore visible consequences for failure. Yet despite this reality, women continuetaking meaningful risks every day. The difference now is that we are doing sowith greater clarity, community, and confidence.

Letting Go of the "Good Girl" Narrative

One of the greatest barriers toexecutive presence for women has been the pressure to be agreeable,accommodating, and "good." In 2026, that narrative is finallycracking.

Being respected matters morethan being liked. Saying no is not selfish. Ambition is not arrogance. Takingup space does not require permission.

Letting go of the "goodgirl" mindset frees women to make braver choices, choices rooted inauthenticity rather than approval. This is what I mean when I say don'tabdicate your throne. Your power already exists. The question is whetheryou will claim it.

Courage Grows Faster in Community

One of the most importantlessons from my global leadership experience is that courage multiplies incommunity. When one woman takes a visible risk, she gives others permission todo the same.

This is why strategicnetworking for professional women is not optional, it is essential. Surroundingyourself with accomplished women who understand the unique challenges we facecreates a support system that makes bold moves possible.

Confidence becomes contagious.Courage becomes collective. And the path to senior leadership becomes clearerwhen you are not walking it alone.

Choosing Courage in 2026

Not every courageous act makesheadlines. Most do not. Courage lives in everyday moments: advocating foryourself in a meeting, trusting your instincts on a difficult decision, stayingtrue to your values when it would be easier to compromise.

The future belongs to women whoare willing to take strategic risks, not because they are fearless, but becausethey are brave enough to move forward anyway.

The question is no longerwhether women are capable of courage. The question is how boldly we are willingto claim it.

Ready to build the courage, confidence, and strategicskills that drive women to senior leadership? Join me at MASTERY SUMMIT 2026in Winter Park, Florida—three intensive days of Fortune 500 strategiesdesigned specifically for accomplished professional women. Surrounded by 300women who understand that the rules are different for us, you will gain thetools and community to take your next bold step.
Visit Mastery-Summit.com to claim your seat.

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