By: Brittany Teepe
Women aren’t just participating in the workforce – they’re reshaping it. Across industries, they’re tearing down outdated systems and building environments where collaboration, equity, and innovation thrive. And they’re not waiting for permission to do it.
The Real Impact of Inclusive Leadership
Inclusive workplaces don’t happen by accident. They’re the result of intentional decisions made every day. Women are proving that when you lead with inclusivity in mind, productivity, retention, and creativity all rise. Here’s how they’re making it happen in real life:
- Ditching Traditional Leadership for Something Better
The old-school, top-down leadership model is fading fast. Women are replacing it with something more effective—collaborative leadership that values input from all levels.
Take Roz Brewer, CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance. She’s one of the few African American women leading a Fortune 500 company, and she’s known for championing mentorship programs that actively pull diverse talent into leadership pipelines. Instead of simply talking about the importance of representation, she’s creating structured pathways to make it a reality.
What You Can Do:
- Start a peer mentorship group in your workplace to ensure knowledge-sharing isn’t limited to those in leadership positions.
- Advocate for leadership training that prioritizes emotional intelligence, active listening, and team development over outdated management tactics.
- Making Workplace Policies Work for Everyone
Women leaders are leading the charge in rewriting outdated policies that don’t reflect today’s workforce. Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code and the Marshall Plan for Moms, is pushing for paid parental leave, affordable childcare, and workplace flexibility as standard, not perks.
At Patagonia, former CEO Rose Marcario expanded on-site childcare and ensured parents – especially moms – weren’t forced to choose between career and family. The result? 100% of the moms who took maternity leave at Patagonia came back to work – a stark contrast to the national average.
What You Can Do:
- Push for better parental leave policies at your workplace.
- If you’re in a position of influence, champion flexible work arrangements for caregivers.
- Support organizations advocating for family-friendly workplace policies.
- Creating Spaces Where All Voices Are Heard
Meetings where the loudest voices dominate the conversation? That’s old news. Women are implementing structured speaking opportunities and redefining meeting culture to ensure all perspectives are valued.
Example: At the New York Times, executive editor Dean Baquet implemented a “no interruptions” rule after noticing that women’s ideas were frequently talked over. This change led to more balanced discussions and better editorial decisions.
Meanwhile, women in tech are using Slack channels and internal forums to amplify underrepresented voices. At Salesforce, employee resource groups (ERGs) provide safe spaces for marginalized employees to share experiences and push for change.
What You Can Do:
- Encourage structured turn-taking in meetings to give everyone a chance to speak.
- Amplify the voices of women and marginalized colleagues by redirecting conversations when they’re being ignored.
- Create or join an ERG in your company to foster community and advocacy.
- Turning Networking into a Power Tool
Traditional networking can feel like a game designed for insiders. Women are flipping the script by creating inclusive, results-driven communities. The Wing (before it shut down) and Ellevest, founded by Sallie Krawcheck, provided spaces where women could connect, share resources, and invest in each other’s success.
On a smaller scale, women are forming new Slack groups, LinkedIn communities, and casual meetups to exchange job opportunities, negotiate salaries, and offer career advice.
What You Can Do:
- Join or create a professional networking group centered on career growth and mutual support.
- Use LinkedIn to actively engage with and uplift the work of other women in your field.
- Share job openings, mentorship opportunities, and professional resources within your network.
- Making Psychological Safety the Norm
Women leaders are proving that when employees feel safe to express themselves, companies thrive. Susan Wojcicki, former YouTube CEO, prioritized open communication and mental health resources, helping to shift the tech industry’s notorious burnout culture.
In smaller businesses, women are leading by example – checking in on employees’ well-being, normalizing mental health days, and ensuring no one feels punished for asking for help.
What You Can Do:
- Normalize open discussions about mental health in the workplace.
- Encourage leadership to invest in wellness initiatives that go beyond surface-level perks.
- Lead by example – take your mental health days and encourage others to do the same.
The Takeaway: Small Actions, Big Impact
Women are showing that inclusivity isn’t just a feel-good idea, but so much more. It’s a strategy that benefits everyone. Whether you’re leading a team, managing a project, or just starting your career, you have the power to shape a more inclusive workplace.
Where to Start:
✅ Challenge outdated workplace norms that exclude people.
✅ Advocate for better policies – flexibility, parental leave, equal pay.
✅ Create and support networks that uplift underrepresented professionals.
✅ Make room for all voices in meetings, not just the loudest ones.
✅ Push for workplaces that prioritize well-being, not just productivity.
The workplace of the future is being built right now. And women? They’re making sure it’s built for everyone.