Women in Leadership: Why 73% of gender-diverse teams make better decisions

Ask any executive if they are interested in improving successful decision-making by 15% and I'm sure the answer will be a resounding "yes". So what if I told you there's already a proven path forward?

The Data: Why Gender Diversity Matters

Research by Forbes suggests that gender-diverse teams make better business decisions and succeed 73% of the time compared to non-gender-diverse teams. So what do we do then?

Let that sink in: a 73% success rate versus the alternative. That's not a marginal gain, that's a fundamental organisational advantage. Yet despite this evidence, women remain significantly underrepresented in leadership roles across South Africa and Africa more broadly. The gap isn't a mystery, it's systemic- but knowing the problem exists is only half the battle.

As Shirley Chisholm is quoted as saying: "If there is no seat at the table, bring a chair." I return to this principle often when asked how I've navigated what is traditionally a male-dominated corporate environment. Personally, it's been about creating and taking opportunities, but it hasn't always been easy.

The confidence myth: courage over confidence

We've all been there. You're sitting in a meeting where the conversation is moving quickly, you have a great idea, but before you can share it, someone else speaks. You finally give your input and it's acknowledged politely. Moments later, a similar idea is offered by someone else and this time it sparks a bigger conversation.

Ever had this experience? It's not because we lacked expertise, but because being heard has often required more than simply having something valuable to say. Usually these situations have me asking myself, "Why didn't I speak up sooner?", followed by, "What did they say that made their input more impactful than mine when the concepts were the same?"

Here's what I've learned: many women, like me, wait for that rush of confidence before taking the next step. But confidence and courage are not the same thing. You don't have to be the most confident person in the room to be valuable. You just need to have the courage to speak anyway.

"Confidence begets confidence" is something I have found myself returning to and strangely enough I don't know who said this originally, but for me it's always been about a simple principle: If I act confident, people will believe I am confident - even when I'm trembling inside! But as you speak up more and more, your confidence builds because your voice is heard, your input is valued, and the trembling isn't as "trembly" as it once was.

This is the cycle that changes everything. Each time a woman's perspective is genuinely received, she builds the foundation for the next contribution. Each time she speaks anyway - despite the doubt - she's rewiring how she shows up in the room.

The real pressure: acknowledging women's leadership barriers

Let's talk openly and honestly about the pressures - the often-relentless pressures - trying to achieve and then balance the perfect career with real life: family, health, appearance and of course, personal fulfillment. It can be overwhelming.

We know that this shapes how women show up professionally, affecting confidence, affecting advocacy, affecting decisions about whether to take that promotion or speak up in that meeting. This isn't a personal failing and many of us feel this, but it needs acknowledging. Not as an excuse, but as a reality that organisations serious about diverse leadership must address.

The women who navigate these pressures and still rise to leadership aren't superhuman. They're strategic. They're supported. They're intentional. And increasingly, they're working in organisations that recognise that removing these barriers isn't about "being nice" - it's about unlocking performance.

The skills advantage: What diverse leadership brings

And now some good news. When you've had to influence without having authority, you learn to listen before you speak. When you've had to build credibility over-and-over again, you become intentional about relationships. When you've learned to navigate uncertainty, you become comfortable asking better questions instead of rushing to answers.

These are not 'soft skills'—they are the capabilities increasingly defining exceptional leadership.

And then there's ever-changing technology reshaping every industry, celebrated as the defining capability of the future. Certainly, artificial intelligence can process faster than any human and automation optimises workflows, but what technology cannot replace is human judgement and judgement is shaped by the people in the room where decisions are made. And that is where women in leadership matter.

It's not about representation alone - when leadership teams include people with different experiences, they ask different questions, they identify risks others miss, they build products and services that better reflect the communities they serve. Women's perspectives are not an addition to innovation; they are fundamental to it.

When women are absent from the decision-making table, organisations miss insights. They miss markets. They miss opportunities. More critically, they compound existing biases in their products, processes, and strategies.

Three priorities for advancing Women in Leadership in South Africa

If we want to see more women in leadership in South Africa, we need to be deliberate about certain things:

1. Access to sponsorship (Not just mentorship)

Women need access to opportunities - genuine access, not just visibility. We need to be in roles where decisions are made. This requires moving beyond mentorship and being deliberate about sponsorship, where sponsors use their capital and influence to advocate for women, rather than just advise them.

Mentorship is valuable. Sponsorship is transformative. A mentor tells you how to navigate the system. A sponsor uses the system to advance you.

Organisations serious about gender diversity in leadership identify high-potential women and actively sponsor them into roles where they can influence strategy, shape culture, and eventually lead.

2. Psychological safety in the workplace

Psychological safety - the shared belief that one can take interpersonal risks without fear of embarrassment or retaliation - is essential. Organisations serious about diverse leadership create environments where different approaches are genuinely welcomed. That means rewarding collaboration alongside healthy competition and recognising that leadership looks different across different people.

When psychological safety exists, women speak up earlier. They share ideas without waiting for a rush of confidence. They challenge assumptions. They ask the hard questions.

Without it, diverse leadership becomes a checkbox. With it, it becomes a competitive advantage.

3. Visibility and role modeling

Look to the future. When young women see other women leading and shaping their organisations' futures, the possibilities become real. It's no longer abstract—it's achievable.

This is why senior women in leadership have a responsibility—not as mentors, necessarily, but as visible proof that the path exists. When a woman sees someone who looks like her, has navigated similar challenges, and has reached senior leadership, her conception of what's possible shifts fundamentally.

Visibility creates hope. Hope creates ambition. Ambition creates the next generation of leaders.

The future of leadership: Beyond technology

Leadership has always been about making decisions that people are willing to follow, which requires trust. And trust is built through empathy, strengthened through relationships, informed by critical thinking and sustained by ethical leadership.

Whilst technology offers us many extraordinary advancements—in science, healthcare, finance, etc.—leadership will still determine whether the future is simply more advanced, or genuinely better.

The organisations that will thrive in the next decade won't be those with the most sophisticated automation or the fastest AI systems. They'll be the ones with leadership teams that make decisions informed by diverse perspectives, grounded in ethical principles, and committed to outcomes that serve more than just shareholders. That requires women's voices in the room. Not as tokens. As decision-makers.