How leaders can better support high-achieving women at work

Executive overview

Too few women reach senior leadership, and the gap often comes down to how their managers show up day-to-day. Leadership coach Sohee Jun draws on 20 years of corporate experience and her book The Inner Game to identify the specific behaviours — questions asked, context shared, conversations normalised — that make the biggest difference.

The most impactful thing a leader can do is co-create solutions with women rather than nudge them unilaterally — and ask "How can I support you?" before assuming what they need.

Providing focus and recalibration

• High-achieving women are pulled in many directions; the most valued manager behaviour is helping them reconnect to the "why" behind their work.
• Regular touch points that re-anchor to team goals cut through noise more effectively than tactical task management.
• Leaders often know the big-picture priorities but don't say them out loud — naming the North Star explicitly is itself a leadership act.
• Providing additional context (what to put down, what to pick up) is one of the most nuanced and practical things a manager can do.

Supporting women through fear and risk

• "Do it afraid" is a useful frame, but only when the employee has been prepared in advance — dropping someone into a fear-triggering moment without prior conversation usually backfires.
• Ask "How can I support you?" before pushing; this opens co-creation and lets the employee articulate what they actually need.
• When someone freezes, break the action into bite-sized steps rather than encouraging one large leap.
• Reflecting back an employee's past wins — especially ones you witnessed — is among the most powerful confidence tools a leader has.
• Confidence is not an on/off switch; it requires ongoing reinforcement, not a one-time boost.

Building confidence through story and reflection

• Asking employees to recall and articulate a past achievement gets them "in motion" and reconnects them to their own capability.
• The mindset work is essentially about the stories people tell themselves; leaders who reframe those stories create lasting change.
• "Fake it till you make it" works for some (stepping into their capable energy) but alienates others — offering the alternative of anchoring to past evidence is more universally effective.

Normalising salary and negotiation conversations

• Salary transparency is rare but impactful: when a colleague proactively shared a salary range, it allowed Sohee to advocate for herself with clarity and confidence.
• As a starting point, leaders can share the salary range for a role when onboarding or interviewing — it normalises pay conversations and creates psychological safety.
• Negotiation coaching key points:
  • Women often anchor too low out of fear of being perceived negatively.
  • Role-playing the conversation in advance builds confidence to ask for what they want.
  • Frame salary discussions as the first round, not the final decision — knowing there is wiggle room reduces freeze.
  • Total compensation (vacation, remote days, equity) matters; help employees think beyond the base number.

Work-life seasons, not balance

• "Balance" as a goal leads to burnout and misalignment; replacing it with the concept of seasons is more honest and sustainable.
• A powerful question a manager asked Sohee early in her return from maternity leave: "What's your boundary for when you want to leave the office?" — she had never been invited to set one.
• Proactively opening that conversation signals that work-life priorities are safe to discuss and increases loyalty and engagement.
• Leaders should normalise saying "it's okay not to do it all" and facilitate explicit conversations about current priorities versus what can be set aside.
• Seasons of intensity are normal; the aim is for people to know a heavy season is temporary, not permanent.

Practical actions for leaders

• Ask "What are you working on?" and connect it explicitly to team and company goals.
• Share the big-picture context employees may not have visibility into.
• Before nudging someone toward a stretch, ask how they want to be supported.
• Reflect past achievements back to employees who are doubting themselves.
• Proactively share salary ranges; normalise pay and negotiation conversations.
• Ask about work-life boundaries early — don't wait for an employee to raise it.
• Frame workload conversations around seasons, not permanent states.