Breaking Through: Women's Leadership from the Playing Field to the Boardroom

Supporting all who identify as women in their leadership journeys

Leadership happens everywhere—in boardrooms and living rooms, on community boards and sports fields, in classrooms and places of worship. Yet for women in all these spaces, the path to leadership often contains unique challenges.

In our work at Off the Beaten Path Psychology and Wellness, we've had countless conversations with women navigating leadership journeys in all areas of life—whether they're executives, entrepreneurs, community volunteers, or managing the complex systems of family life. These leadership principles resonate regardless of where you lead.

The "Broken Rung" Reality

The first major obstacle most women face isn't the glass ceiling - it's what McKinsey research aptly calls the "broken rung" on the leadership ladder. This critical first step to influential leadership roles is where many talented women find themselves overlooked, not because they lack capabilities, but because systems haven't evolved to recognize diverse leadership potential.

This challenge extends beyond corporate settings to community organizations, volunteer committees, and professional associations. How many brilliant women do you know who consistently deliver exceptional results yet remain in supporting roles while watching others advance?

The Overqualification Trap

Women often feel they need to be dramatically overqualified before putting themselves forward. As Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher captures in her podcast, moms hesitate to coach their kids' sports teams because they didn't play at a D1 college level (equivalent to CIAU/U SPORTS in Canada) - while dads who played one season in high school step in confidently.

This isn't just about encouraging more women to step forward (though that's important) - it's equally about communities recognizing and supporting women's potential even when they don't fit traditional leadership molds. We need both: women who see their own capabilities clearly AND systems that actively welcome their contributions.

This "overqualification trap" is a powerful barrier that starts in the mind long before it manifests in leadership outcomes.

Evidence-Based Strategies That Work

1. Find Your Champions and Advocates

While mentors provide guidance, sponsors actively advocate for you and connect you to opportunities. This applies whether you're seeking advancement professionally or in community contexts. These relationships provide both tactical support and the psychological safety to take risks.

Action step: Identify potential sponsors who have influence and genuinely believe in your capabilities.

2. Track and Showcase Your Impact

Create a "success file" documenting your contributions with specific metrics – whether that's revenue generated in business, community engagement increased in volunteer roles, or positive change facilitated in any capacity.

Action step: Start tracking weekly wins, positive feedback, and measurable outcomes across all domains.

3. Build Meaningful Connections Beyond Boundaries

Develop genuine relationships that expand your perspective and sphere of influence. Diverse connections provide resilience and expose you to different leadership models for your own authentic style.

Action step: Reach out to three people outside your immediate circle whose work or community involvement intersects with yours.

Navigating Relational Changes

In therapy, we often discuss how changes in self-image and assertiveness can make others uncomfortable initially. Systems naturally resist change, even positive change. However, we're witnessing a wonderful trend: women supporting each other AND men, women, and partners of all genders recognizing the value of this growth.

The most successful transitions happen when support networks understand that increased assertiveness isn't about dominance – it's about bringing full capabilities to the table. When families and colleagues actively encourage this growth, benefits ripple through both intimate family systems and organizations.

Leadership Transcends Formal Titles

Leadership happens at parent council meetings, in volunteer groups, on community boards, and around kitchen tables. Skills developed in one domain transfer beautifully to others. When women step more fully into their leadership potential – wherever that may be – everyone benefits from their unique perspectives.

What strategies have helped your leadership journey? We'd love to hear your experiences.

Drawing from research by McKinsey, PwC, and our clinical experience supporting women leaders across various life contexts.