What the Colts’ New CEO Reveals About Female Leaders in Male-Dominated Industries
As a women’s leadership expert and diehard Colts fan, I was eager to see what Jim Irsay’s daughters would do with the Indianapolis Colts following his passing. When Carly Irsay-Gordon stepped into the role of owner and CEO, she inherited leadership of one of the most visible and scrutinized organizations in professional sports—an industry that remains deeply male-dominated.
Unsurprisingly, there was no shortage of opinions about her role and her early decisions. I quietly watched, knowing that in time, Irsay-Gordon would demonstrate what effective leadership can look like when female leaders operate in male-dominated industries.
Leadership in professional sports isn’t just about winning games. It’s about building credibility as a leader, shaping culture, and maintaining public trust. Irsay-Gordon’s early leadership choices offer a compelling case study in how women often lead differently, and how those differences can create meaningful, lasting impact.
Collaborative Leadership in Male-Dominated Industries
One of Irsay-Gordon’s first actions was to establish a collaborative leadership structure rather than centralize authority. The Colts implemented a shared leadership model with clearly defined executive roles for her and her sisters: Casey Foyt (Executive Vice President, with a focus on marketing and community relations) and Kalen Jackson (Chief Brand Officer and President of the Colts Foundation).
Research consistently shows that female leaders are more likely to design collaborative systems and structures that distribute authority, empower decision-making, and maintain clarity regarding roles and accountability. For female leaders in male-dominated industries, collaboration is often misread as softness or indecision. In reality, it’s risk management.
This leadership model reduces bottlenecks, builds leadership capability throughout the organization, and strengthens continuity beyond a single individual. In industries steeped in tradition and hierarchy, this approach may seem unconventional, but it often yields more productive outcomes for the organization.
Building Credibility as a Leader Without Relying on Title
Leadership roles in the NFL often come with assumed authority. Yet for women, that credibility is rarely automatic, even when their titles and qualifications are clear. Instead of relying on her title as owner or CEO, Irsay-Gordon focused on building credibility as a leader by deepening her understanding of football operations and on-field decision-making.
Irsay-Gordon’s approach isn’t about proving she belongs or “earning” her title; Her approach is about choosing influence over assumption. Her presence on the sidelines, wearing a headset and reviewing play-calling, was intensely scrutinized. But this choice reflects preparation, not control. By learning the realities of the work in real time, she strengthens her ability to evaluate advice, support her coaching staff, and make informed leadership decisions grounded in understanding rather than assumption.
This pattern is familiar to many women in male-dominated systems. Authority is not freely granted; it’s earned through knowledge, preparation, and insight. Women often take extra steps to build influence, not because they lack confidence, but because that credibility provides leverage without relying on positional authority alone. The result isn’t micromanagement, it’s trust.
Leadership Succession and Culture: Changing the System, Not Just the Outcome
The most lasting impact of Irsay-Gordon’s leadership may have little to do with wins and losses. Instead, it lies in how she’s shaping leadership succession and culture within the Colts organization.
Under her leadership, the Colts have invested in diverse talent pipelines into football operations, including fellowships designed to expand access for women and underrepresented groups in coaching and football administration. These initiatives reflect a systems-level approach to leadership, one focused on sustainability rather than short-term wins.
This is another hallmark of female leadership: a focus on building repeatable systems that deliver results. They’re less concerned with the chance successes that can come with the energy of a new leader, and more focused on building consistent, repeatable systems that produce results year after year. As a Colts fan who’s spent years nostalgically hoping for a return to a Peyton Manning-like era, I find the focus on building a long-term strategy exciting for us fans who are eager for the Colts to return to prominence.
Leadership That Balances Profit, People, and Performance
Under Irsay-Gordon’s leadership, mental health has moved to a core organizational priority. The Colts have expanded mental health resources for players, staff, and the broader Indianapolis community. This is one example among many of changes that Irsay-Gordon is making to prioritize their people, not just the bottom line. It’s a philosophy that treats employee and player well-being as essential to the organization’s long-term success.
Research consistently shows that female leaders are more likely to consider the broader impact of leadership decisions on their people, even when those decisions carry short-term costs. This approach strengthens organizations over time by fostering greater employee satisfaction, loyalty, and engagement, which, in turn, increases employee performance.
Irsay-Gordon is quietly building a culture where employees feel valued and important. That culture is already showing measurable results. In recent seasons, multiple high-profile players have expressed a desire to remain with the Colts through retirement, even if it means leaving money on the table elsewhere.
In a league defined by short-term contracts, that level of loyalty is notable. It reflects trust in leadership, confidence in its direction, and belief in what its leaders are building for the future. Leaders don’t create that kind of loyalty through slogans or big compensation packages. They earn it by building environments in which people feel respected and supported, and are confident that decisions are made with long-term success in mind.
A Blueprint for Female Leaders in Male-Dominated Industries
What makes Irsay-Gordon’s leadership notable isn’t disruption or ego; it’s discipline, intention, and values-based decision-making in an environment that often rewards dominance over intentionality.
Her early tenure underscores a broader truth about female leaders in male-dominated industries: effective leadership doesn’t require women to lead like men. Women often lead collaboratively, take time to learn before acting, and focus on building cultures people want to stay part of.
As organizations across Indiana and beyond wrestle with leadership succession and culture, the lesson here isn’t about gender; it’s about how leadership needs to evolve. In that respect, the Colts’ new CEO isn’t just shaping the future of a football team. She’s offering a leadership blueprint worth studying.
About the Author:
Jessica Gendron is a women’s leadership expert, culture strategist, and career development executive supporting professionals and leaders as they navigate some of the most complex moments of their careers. She is the CEO of The Center for Leadership Excellence (CLE), a leadership and career transition firm providing coaching, programs, and online learning for individuals and organizations.